Electric shock: first aid

Do this now

1. 01Switch off the supply at the mains before you touch them. This comes first, always.
2. 02If you cannot switch it off, stand on something dry and push them clear with dry wood, plastic or a broom handle. Never with your hands or anything metal or wet.
3. 03Once they are clear, check whether they are breathing normally.
4. 04If they are not, start chest compressions immediately.
5. 05Cool any burns under running water — there are usually two, where the current entered and where it left.
6. 06Take them to hospital even if they seem completely fine.

Do not

• ×Do not touch the person while they are still in contact with the current. Rescuers are regularly the second casualty.
• ×Do not approach a fallen high-voltage line. Stay at least ten metres back and call the electricity board.
• ×Do not pour water on an electrical fire or on somebody still in contact.
• ×Do not send them home because they feel fine. Dangerous heart rhythms can start hours later, which is why this needs monitoring.

What to tell the operator

• That it was an electric shock, and whether household or high voltage
• How long they were in contact
• Whether they lost consciousness or were thrown
• Whether they are breathing normally now

What this page cannot tell you

• Electrical burns are mostly internal — the skin marks show almost nothing of the damage along the path
• Heart rhythm problems can appear hours afterwards with no warning