Emergency Cards EN-US

United States

Electric shock

Reviewed

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Switch the power off at the breaker or pull the plug. Do not touch the person while the current is on.

A person in contact with live electricity is part of the circuit, and touching them makes you the second casualty. Every electrical injury needs medical assessment, even when the skin looks fine.

Step by step

  1. Switch off the circuit breaker, pull the plug or have the supply cut. This comes first.
  2. For high voltage or overhead lines, stay at least twenty meters away and wait for the utility company. Voltage arcs and travels through the ground.
  3. Once you are sure the power is off, check whether the person responds and is breathing normally.
  4. Call 911 and say electric shock, so they check for heart rhythm problems.
  5. If breathing is not normal, start CPR and use a defibrillator as soon as one arrives.
  6. Cool burns under cool running water for twenty minutes, then cover them loosely with a clean non-fluffy dressing or plastic wrap.
  7. Look for a second burn where the current left the body, usually on a hand or a foot.

Never do this

  • Do not touch the person, or anything they are touching, until the power is off.
  • Do not use water on or near a live circuit.
  • Do not let anyone go home unchecked after a shock that passed through the body. The heart rhythm can fail hours later.

Call emergency services if

  • Any shock from household current that passed through the body.
  • Any contact with high voltage or lightning.
  • Burns, unconsciousness, an irregular heartbeat, confusion or muscle pain after the shock.

Common questions

Is a small shock harmless?

A brief tingle from a household socket with no symptoms usually is. If the person was thrown, could not let go, felt chest pain or lost consciousness, they need a hospital check with an ECG.

What about a lightning strike?

People struck by lightning are safe to touch straight away. Treat the ones who appear dead first, because their hearts often restart with prompt CPR.

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Sources and standards

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them.