Shock Emergencies & Treatment

Even when we’re being as care­ful as we can, acci­dents hap­pen. If some­one does get shocked, you can help them – and your­self – by remem­ber­ing the fol­low­ing tips:

• When some­one receives an elec­tri­cal shock, their breath­ing and heart­beat could stop. Even small elec­tric cur­rents can dam­age or prove fatal to the brain, heart and lungs. Elec­tric shocks can also burn skin, nerves, tis­sue and mus­cles inside the body.

• If a per­son has been shocked, whether indoors or out­doors, do NOT touch the per­son or attempt to move them. Turn off the main source of pow­er and imme­di­ate­ly call 911. If the vic­tim is not breath­ing or their heart has stopped, be absolute­ly sure they are no longer con­nect­ed to the source of the shock, then begin mouth-to-mouth resus­ci­ta­tion or CPR.

• Elec­tric­i­ty trav­els through con­duc­tors such as met­al (cop­per, alu­minum, iron, etc.), water, trees, moist soil and human skin. Peo­ple are excel­lent con­duc­tors because the human body is about 70 per­cent water. Insu­la­tors are non-con­duct­ing mate­ri­als, such as glass, rub­ber, plas­tic and dry wood.

Know what to do in an elec­tri­cal emer­gency, teach your chil­dren about safe­ty and be aware of elec­tri­cal haz­ards indoors and out­doors. A lit­tle pre­cau­tion can go a long way when it comes to safe­ty.