Electrocution due to contact of industrial equipment with power lines

Electrocution by arcing: a nonfatal case study

Accidental electrocution during working activities account for a considerable amount of morbidity and mortality. Workers often misjudge the danger of electric wires or high-tension power cables, thereby exposing themselves to electrocution hazard. This article describes a nonfatal case of injuries by arcing from high-tension power-line cables involving a young farmer who was thrashing an olive tree by means of aluminum ladder. The circumstances surrounding the manner of electrocution and the features of electric injuries are presented and discussed.

Childhood deaths due to electrocution in Adana, Turkey

AIM

This retrospective study was conducted to determine the general features of childhood deaths due to electrocution, and draw the attention of community to these preventable deaths.

METHODS

The autopsy records of the Morgue of the Adana Branch of the Turkish Forensic Medicine Council were used. Thirty-seven cases of childhood (under 18) electrocution during the period 1999-2004 were analyzed.

RESULTS

Electrocution deaths comprised 0.8% of all the medico-legal autopsy cases (4515) during these 6 years. Thirty-one (83.8%) of the victims were male and only six (16.2%) were female. They were between 18 months and 18 years of age, and the mean age was 11.35, and all deaths were recorded as accidental.

CONCLUSION

Medical units, and paramedical and educational centres should play important roles in formulating public health strategies to tackle preventable deaths such as electrocution.

Fatal occupational electrocutions in the United States

INTRODUCTION

The highest proportions of fatal occupational electrocutions have occurred among those employed in the electrical trades and in the construction and manufacturing industries.

METHODS

Data from 1992 through 1999 were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

RESULTS

Occupational electrocution deaths occurred almost entirely among males, with the highest rates among those aged 20-34 and among whites and American Indians. They were highest during the summer months, in the South, and in establishments employing 10 or fewer workers. The highest rates occurred in the construction, mining, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries and among trades associated with these industries.

CONCLUSIONS

Electrocution continues to be a significant cause of occupational death. Workers need to be provided with safety training and employers, particularly smaller employers, persuaded of the need for safety training.

A patient with an electrical burn treated by modified bilateral hemipelvectomy and disarticulation of the right arm

A 23-year-old Hispanic worker sustained an electrical injury to 45% of his body when a crane hit a power line. Amputations of both legs, with bilateral partial hemipelvectomies, were required. A disarticulation of the right arm at the shoulder was also preformed. Resection of necrotic bowel, debridement of 95% of the abdominal wall, and resection of the genitalia was eventually required, with later reconstruction of the abdominal wall. After wound healing was complete, the patient was fitted with Jobst garments. A customized bucket prosthesis with a temperature control, to allow sitting upright, was provided. An electric wheel chair and a myoelectronic prosthetic arm were supplied. Rehabilitation was begun early.

A histological analysis of a high voltage electric current injury to an upper limb

The mechanisms and patterns of high voltage electric current injury to living tissues are not fully understood. Most available data is derived from animal experimentation using voltages that are considerably lower that those encountered by human victims during electrocution accidents. This work aims to contribute human tissue histological data by analyzing the pattern of tissue damage after a real life unfortunate high voltage electrocution accident.