Electrical injuries at work are a regular danger for any employee who works with power tools, near power lines, and anywhere where exposure to wires or cables is possible. While fairly rare, when electrical accidents happen, they can be fatal. Survivors may suffer injuries to their organs, tissues, heart, and other parts of their anatomy. Employers should understand what safety steps and quality products can help prevent electrical accidents.<\/p>\n
If an employee dies due to an electrical accident, the spouse and children may have a right to workers\u2019 compensation<\/a> death benefits. Employees who survive an electrical accident should seek compensation for their medical bills, temporary disability benefits, and permanent disability benefits if they can\u2019t return to work full-time. There is no requirement to show the employer was negligent, failed to follow OSHA safety regulations, or failed to follow industry standards.<\/p>\n Electric injuries generally include the following:<\/p>\n Some of the factors that determine how severe the injury will be include the path of the current, the amount of current, how the contact is, moisture, and the employee’s mass. Exposure to high milliampere levels is often fatal.<\/p>\n Some of the reasons workers may be exposed to electricity include contact with:<\/p>\n The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)<\/u><\/a> compiles electrical workplace data. Some of the data for 2020 showed the following:<\/p>\n About 40 percent of the workers who suffered fatal electrical accidents were Hispanic.<\/p>\n Watch out for the Defense of a <\/i>Safety Rule Violation<\/i><\/a><\/u>. <\/i><\/p>\n If the injured worker is employed by a company that engages in frequent work in and around high-voltage electrical equipment and\/or lines, there are likely numerous safety rules<\/a><\/u> that require the use of proper equipment and procedures to protect workers from these hazards.<\/p>\n In Virginia, if it is found by the Commission that you willfully violated a safety rule and this violation caused your injury, your claim would be dismissed. In North Carolina, any safety rule violation, other than intoxication that caused your injuries, would not completely bar your claim, but reduce your weekly checks by 10%.<\/p>\n A good example of a safety rule violation in this context might be failure to don your rubber gloves before handling a live wire. If it were found that you willfully failed to adhere to the rules requiring that you wear rubber gloves, and this caused your electrical injuries, your claim could be dismissed in Virginia, or reduced by 10% if pending in North Carolina.<\/p>\n Injured electrical accident workers will likely need to be treated by emergency care specialists, neurologists, cardiologists, and psychiatrists.<\/p>\n According to the Mayo Clinic<\/a><\/u>, helpers should not touch anyone who suffers electrical injury if that accident victim is still in contact with an electric current. Helpers should call 911 immediately or the local emergency number \u2013 “if the source of the burn is a high-voltage wire or lightning.”<\/p>\n “Don’t get near high-voltage wires until the power is turned off. Overhead power lines usually aren’t insulated. Stay at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away \u2014 farther if wires are jumping and sparking.”<\/p>\n “Don’t move a person with an electrical injury unless there is immediate danger.”<\/p>\n Some of the signs that immediate help is required for an electrical injury include difficulty breathing, heart rhythm problems, cardiac arrest, seizures, confusion, severe burns, loss of consciousness, and muscle pain and contractions.<\/p>\n Workers and other helpers should take the following steps while they’re waiting for the emergency help to arrive:<\/p>\n Injured employees in North Carolina and Virginia who suffer electrical injuries during the scope of their employment can claim the following benefits:<\/p>\n If an employee dies due to electrocution or another type of electrical injury, North Carolina and Virginia authorize death benefits as follows:<\/p>\n North Carolina and Virginia lawyer Joe Miller understands what steps employees must take to file a workers’ compensation claim after an electrical accident, what medical treatments are usually required, what benefits the worker or the family members can claim, and what defenses the insurance companies are likely to assert. At Joe Miller Law Ltd., our North Carolina and Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer has helped thousands of injured and ill employees obtain just recoveries including temporary and permanent disability benefits. To assert your rights to compensation if an employee is injured or a loved one dies while working, call attorney Joe Miller Law Ltd., at 888-667-8295<\/b> or use my online contact form<\/u><\/a> to schedule a free consultation.<\/p>\n Our law firm does have a way for you to provide your details of your accident and injuries if you simply want to do that electronically from the comfort and safety of your home at any time of day or night. To utilize this service, simply click here to get to our New Electronic Case Review<\/a><\/u>. We’ll get back to you, typically within 24 hours to provide our response as to whether your situation is one where we can provide you with legal representation. If we require more information, we’ll contact you and ask for more that. If we ultimately determine that we cannot represent or assist you, we will not leave you high and dry. We’ll provide you with other resources to assist you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Electrical injuries at work are a regular danger for any employee who works with power tools, near power lines, and anywhere where exposure to wires or cables is possible. While fairly rare, when electrical accidents happen, they can be fatal. Survivors may suffer injuries to their organs, tissues, heart, and other parts of their anatomy. … <\/p>\nWhat are the different types of electrical injuries?<\/h2>\n
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Why do electrical accidents happen in North Carolina or Virginia?<\/h3>\n
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Treatment for electrical injuries<\/h3>\n
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What benefits can injured employees and the families of deceased employees claim in North Carolina in Virginia?<\/h3>\n
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