Emergency Cards EN

International

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, because they change. Before you rely on these cards, ask a medical professional or a fire safety specialist to 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 metres away and wait for the utility company. Voltage arcs and travels through the ground.
  3. Once the power is confirmed off, check whether the person responds and is breathing normally.
  4. Call 112 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 cling film.
  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 through the body. Heart rhythm can fail hours later.

Call emergency services if

  • Any mains voltage shock that passed through the body.
  • Any high voltage or lightning contact.
  • 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 prompt CPR often restarts their hearts.

Next cards

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, because they change. Before you rely on these cards, ask a medical professional or a fire safety specialist to review them.