Request for Assistance in Preventing Fatalities of Workers Who Contact Electrical Energy

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Recommendations for life saving measures aimed at workers who contact electrical energy are presented in a NIOSH Alert. Standards and guidelines produced by the 1985 National Conference on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care indicate two levels of emergency aid: basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which can be administered by trained lay persons; and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), involving special equipment operated by medical personnel. The speed of administering aid is essential to successful resuscitation. Highest success rates are found when CPR is begun within 4 minutes of cardiac arrest and ACLS within 8 minutes. A case report describes a construction worker who contacted a high voltage line, resulting in immediate collapse. CPR was begun within about 4 minutes and ACLS by about 6 minutes. The individual eventually recovered. Another case describes a restaurant worker who manually contacted a 110 to 120 volt 20 amp electrical outlet source. He was in contact for a prolonged time, and although an off duty employee arrived to administer CPR, this probably did not occur within 4 to 6 minutes. An emergency squad with ACLS capability that arrived 10 minutes after notification was unable to resuscitate the victim. Recommendations include prevention; safe work practices such as a buddy system, CPR training, and knowledge of circuit deenergization; availability and administration of CPR within 4 minutes; and availability of ACLS within 8 minutes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular System Construction Industry Electric Injuries Electricity Emergency Responders First Aid Food Handling Food Industry Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety

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• Keywords:
  Cardiopulmonary-system Construction-Search Construction-workers Electrical-hazards Electrical-shock Emergency-treatment First-aid Food-handlers
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB87103
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00167891
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB87-189023
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 87-103, 1986 Dec; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1987
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:431fe9cac8cd547785a743d65050c557913e1f576251ef2e0984aa3dcc3ce296542c37a9b26f50442edaec3c7b636cca15b6a26ffec857aed72f852cd6615735
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209477/cdc_209477_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB ]