Prevalent and Deadly

Electrical Shock Prevention

Needs a Jolt of Change

1
Meet the Speakers
Tim Piemonte is a vertical
market manager at Littelfuse with
over 10 years of experience in
the electrical industry, including
six years of field service and
power system analysis at GE
where he focused primarily on
commercial and industrial power
distribution. Tim is a member of
IEEE, IAEI, NFPA, and received
his B.S. in electrical engineering
from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute in 2010.
Daniel Majano is a program
manager at the Electrical
Safety Foundation International
(ESFI). Since 2014, he has
developed, and managed
programs dedicated to the
advancement of electrical
safety in both workplace and
residential settings. Daniel has
led ESFI’s effort to compile
workplace and residential
electrical safety data to guide
ESFI’s awareness materials.
He is a graduate of George
Mason University.
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What You Will Learn
▪ The current state of electrical fatalities
▪ What are the long-term effects of an electrical shock
▪ The mindset of safety professionals and electrical
workers revealed through the Littelfuse Electrical Survey
▪ Where safety training and best practices are falling
short and what you can do to improve them

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Current State
of Electrical
Fatalities
 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: What Does the Nature of
Injury Tell us?
Nature of Injury, all Electrical Fatalities 2011 - 2019

Burns / scald (heat),

Arc-flash,
2.97%
which are listed
under “burns / Fracture, 1.18%
scalds (heat),” Bruise/ contusion/…
was specifically Electrical shock,
listed in 0.9% 88.43% Concussion, 0.79%
of total cases. Cut / laceration, 0.40%
Dislocation, 0.40%
Other, 5.44%

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Littelfuse Survey: Most Electrical Workers Have Been
Shocked at Work

▪ Survey: 163 people who

work directly with
electricity
▪ 78% have experienced a
shock while on the job

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Electrical Fatalities Trend has Plateaued

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Nonfatal Electrical Injury Improvements are Inconsistent
Number of Nonfatal Electrical Injuries. Private Industry,
2011 - 2019
3000
2,480
2500 2,250 2,210
2,090
2000 1,850 1,900
1,700 1,640 1,560
1500

1000

500

0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
BLS: Nonfatal Electrical Injuries Linear (BLS: Nonfatal Electrical Injuries)

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Not Just a Shock - Effects can Last a Lifetime

Even minor shock

injuries can lead to
problems with:
▪ Fatigue
▪ Depression
▪ Concentration
▪ Memory loss
▪ Pain
▪ Balance
▪ Coordination

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Keeping Workers Safe is a Major Challenge

Source: https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/State-of-Safety-2018/safety-stories/electric-shock

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Safety Professionals: Comfort Level in
Identifying Electrical Hazards

Q7 Are you comfortable

identifying electrical hazards
independently, without
support from electrical
workers or engineers?

Source: R. Bugaris and H. L. Floyd, “Best Practices for

Engaging Safety Professionals on Electrical Topics. Littelfuse, Inc. © 2021 11
Littelfuse Survey: Working on Energized Equipment
Happens More than You Think

93% of respondents answered "Yes"

“Have you ever witnessed Among those who said "Yes,"

approximately 33% said the equipment
someone working on or near was not considered critical
energized equipment of more

”
25% of the electrical workers we surveyed
than 50 volts? said they "never work on or near energized
equipment of 50 or more volts”

36% said they do not always wear the

recommended level of PPE while working on or
near energized equipment of more than 50 volts

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Electrical Fatalities are Higher With Non-Qualified
Occupations
Electrical Fatalities, Electrical and Non-Electrical Occupations,
2011 – 2019 (OSHA)
160
140
120
100
80
96 81
75 75 75 85
60
60 61 75
40
20 41 40 38 34 37 38 43 29
28
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Electrical Occupation Fatalities Non-Electrical Occupation Fatalities

Qualified vs Non-qualified Littelfuse, Inc. © 2021 13

At-Risk
Occupations
 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: At-Risk Occupations
OSHA TABLE S-4. TYPICAL OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES FACING A
HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL RISK OF ELECTRICAL ACCIDENT
Occupation
Blue-collar supervisors
Electrical and electronic engineers
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
Electrical and electronic technicians
Electricians
Industrial machine operators
Material handling equipment operators
Mechanics and repairers
Painters
Riggers and roustabouts
Stationary engineers
Welders

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 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: At-Risk Occupations
OCCUPATIONS WITH 10 OR MORE ELECTRICAL FATALITIES:
2011 - 2019
180 170
160
140
120 104 101
100 76
80 65
60 37 33
40 27 25 22 20 19 18 17 15 13 13 12 10 10 10
20
0

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 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: At-Risk Occupations
Electrical Occupation Fatalities (328 cases): Human Factor

Human Factor Fatalities Human Factor Fatalities

Misjudgment of hazardous situation 27% Insufficient / lack / written work practice 3%
program
Lockout / tagout procedure malfunction 13% Position inappropriate for task 2%

Insufficient / lack of protective work 9% Insufficient / lack / engineering controls 2%

clothing / equipment
Malfunction in securing / warning 4% Perception malfunction, task / 1%
operation environment

Safety devices removed / inoperable 3% Defective equipment in use 0.3%

Equipment inappropriate for operation 3% Other 30%

Material handing procedure inappropriate 3% Littelfuse, Inc. © 2021 17

Littelfuse Survey Results:
Working Energized and Without PPE

Why Workers Work Energized Why Workers Skip PPE

“Unfortunately for some
“I was the dumb
[of] us working so
apprentice that was
unsafe is a frequent
taught this was
thing, for some it’s even
accepted.”
part of fault finding.”

“They were a
“Permitted to do so.” ‘seasoned’ and ‘trained’
electrician.”

“They were [a] trained

electrical technician. I “Engineer with skills
have had close calls and warned about
especially when I was risks.”
training.”

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 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: At-Risk Occupations
Non-Electrical Occupation Fatalities (683 cases): Human Factor
Human Factor Non- Electrical Human Factor Non- Electrical
Electrical Fatalities Electrical Fatalities
Fatalities Fatalities
Misjudgment of hazardous situation 39% 27% Safety devices removed / 2% 3%
inoperable
Position inappropriate for task 6% 2% Insufficient / lack / engineering 2% 2%
controls
Equipment inappropriate for 5% 3% Malfunction in securing / 2% 4%
operation warning operation
Insufficient / lack / written work 3% 3% Defective equipment in use 1% 0.3%
practice program
Insufficient / lack of protective 3% 9% Perception malfunction, task / 1% 1%
work clothing / equipment environment
Lockout / tagout procedure 3% 13% Other 29% 30%
malfunction
Material handing procedure 3% 3%
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inappropriate
Electrical Safety:
How Can You
Improve
Electrical Safety: How Can You Improve
• Changes need to occur to reduce the number of fatal electrical injuries in the workplace:

• Electrical occupations:
• Combat complacency
• Assurance that all workers are constantly trained on the importance of personal
protective equipment and standard electrical safety protocols, such as lockout / tagout
and proper GFCI protection.

• Non-electrical occupations:
• Better universal training program will need to be created to educate all workers on the
dangers of working around live electricity, including those who may only encounter
exposed parts of electric circuits operating less than 50-volts to ground.

• All procedures related to electrical safety should be documented, readily available for all
workers, continuously trained on, discussed, and updated.

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Hierarchy of Controls – Prevention through Design

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How GFCIs can
Improve Safety
GFCIs - Actively Saving Lives Since 1968

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Non-Dwelling Unit GFCIs – NEC® 2017

Now up to 50 A single phase, and 3-phase

circuits up to 100 A required for the first time.

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Commercial Applications: 3PH 100 A and Below

Garage Circuits
▪ Fans
▪ Car lifts
Kitchen Circuits
▪ Compressors
▪ Open Fryers
▪ Tire changers
▪ Pizza Ovens
▪ Pipe benders
▪ Dough Mixers
▪ Pressure washers
▪ Combination Ovens

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Commercial Applications: 3PH 100 A and Below

Construction Equipment
▪ Electric Heaters
▪ Compressors
▪ Plasma Cutters
▪ Welders
▪ Pressure washers
▪ Submersible Pumps
▪ Grinding Equipment

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 Electrical Safety in the Workplace: Construction

Construction Electrical Fatalities By Construction Project Type: 2011- 2019

Project Type Total Fatalities Electrical Occupation Non-Electrical

Fatalities Occupation Fatalities
New project or new addition 142 53 89

Alteration or rehabilitation 132 52 80

Maintenance or repair 77 23 54

Demolition 10 3 7

Other 17 8 9

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Electrical Safety in the Workplace: Construction
Construction Electrical Fatalities By Project End Use: 2011- 2019
End Use of Project Total Fatalities Electrical Non-Electrical
Occupation Occupation
Fatalities Fatalities
Single family or duplex 90 7 83
dwelling
Commercial building 83 45 38
Other building 64 29 35
Powerline, transmission line 45 37 8
Multi-family dwelling 27 1 26
Highway, road, street 13 0 13
Other heavy construction 12 3 9
Manufacturing plant 9 8 1
Other 18 7 11

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SB6000 & SB5000 Series Shock Block®
3PH GFCI, SPGFCI, and EGFPD

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Why Wait for the Code?

• Permanently connected equipment in

wet or damp areas.
• Plug-and-cord connected equipment
in dry but harsh indoor environments.
• Temporary power receptacles other
than single-phase 125-volt (30A and
below)
• Any similar permanently connected
or plug and cord application above
208 volts. (i.e., Class C and D
SPGFCI Applications)

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Closing Thoughts
▪ The current state of electrical fatalities in the workplace have
flattened out and are no longer decreasing.
▪ Safety professionals are facing many challenges in keeping
workers safe.
▪ Safety standards are often the minimum threshold of what
should be done.
▪ Adopting the Heirarchy of Controls means
integrating solutions that minimize the human factor.
▪ An advocate for Safety by Design is an advocate for saving
lives.

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Questions?

Confidential and Proprietary | Littelfuse, Inc. © 2021 33

Thank You

1-800-TEC-FUSE
techline@littelfuse.com

Confidential and Proprietary | Littelfuse, Inc. © 2021 34