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How Do Electrical Shocks Occur?

Every year, 1 percent of all fatal accidents or 1,000 deaths in United States are caused by electric shocks. Typically, shock injuries result from either an electric current that passes through the body or lightning. Extension cords and electrical cords from household gadgets are the cause of about 63 percent of shock injuries in children (ages 12 and younger). Infants are prone to electrical injuries when they insert metal objects in their mouths, reports Healthline.

  1. How It Works

    • The amount of electrical charge flowing from one point to another is known as an electric current, which represents the transfer of electrons through conductive matter. According to Healthline, water and metal are effective conductors; the human body is also a superlative conductor. Because electricity moves in closed circuits, shock occurs when the body becomes a component of the circuit. Entering the body at one point, an electric current then exits the body at another. This event results in a shock injury.

    Electrical Shock Situations

    • According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), three frequent electrical shock scenarios occur when an individual contacts a piece of metal that connects to a charged circuit while the person is also touching the ground or when he contacts one wire connected to a charged circuit and the ground or when he contacts both wires of a charged circuit. If the wiring of electrical tools and appliances is exposed because of cracks in insulation, any metallic components can become charged and produce a shock injury.

    Shock Factors

    • The seriousness of the shock that an individual receives will depend on a few determinants: how long the body is part of the electric circuit; the track the current travels through the body; the amount of the current that the body is exposed to; and the type of current (alternating or direct). Other considerations include the dampness in the environment, the individual's health and the phase of the cardiac cycle at the time of the shock, according to Healthline.

    Shock Injuries

    • Because the sensitivity of the nervous system to electrical current, neurological disturbances often result from shock, reports Healthline. High-voltage shocks can cause cardiac arrest or paralyze the lungs, leading to immediate death. Also, shocks can cause convulsive spasms, which can result in the dislocation or breakage of bones. Damage to the circulatory system can be seen in blood clots that develop in small arteries and veins. Recovery from these injuries typically requires the amputation of affected limbs.

    Lightning

    • There is no greater high-voltage shock than a bolt of lightning. An average bolt can contain billions of watts and up to 1 billion volts, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. In the prior three decades (1979-2008), lightning killed an average of 58 people per year, and an average of 300 per year suffered lightning-related injuries.

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