A decade of occupational accidents due to direct or indirect electrical contact in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in Spain (2003–2012)

Abstract

Occupational accidents caused by electrical contact are a major concern worldwide due to their severe consequences. The study conducted is based on an analysis of the evolution of incidence rates and dependence between variables for 14,022 electrical accidents occurring in Spain between 2003 and 2012. The results show that electrical accidents as a whole are 3.6 times more likely to have severe consequences than the rest of the accidents in the country. This proportion is even nine times greater in the case of fatal accidents. They also confirm a significant relationship between the severity of this type of accidents and the economic sector in which they occur. On the other hand, there is a positive trend in the reduction of the incidence rate, especially in relation to direct contact, although unexpectedly the rate of accidents due to indirect contact is on the rise. Thus, preventing electrical occupational accidents requires efforts to guarantee adequate training adapted to the needs of workers in the various economic sectors. Furthermore, those responsible for safety should work to implement mechanisms to monitor and control compliance with efficient protective measures against electrical contact.

Analysis of the Average Duration of Sick Leave Due to Electrical Contact in the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sectors in Spain (2013-2019)

“…Next, for the accidents included in this study, a statistical analysis was carried out in order to demonstrate the existence of a relationship between the seriousness of accidents of electrical origin and the economic sectors in which they occur based on the number of lost workdays as a result of the accident suffered by the worker. To this end, tests of independence were applied in order to demonstrate this [27,33].…”

“…The comparative analysis of the ADSL for slight accidents over the study period shows that the primary sector (32,26) exceeds the secondary sector (29,88), the tertiary sector (30,76) and the national average (30,60). These differences are greater in the case of electrical accidents (29,33) and even more so in the case of accidents due to indirect electrical contact (31,90).…”

“…Using the criteria described in the Methodology section, the analysis of the evolution of the ADSL due to slight electrical accidents in Spain during the study period shows that the highest year-on-year ADSL for this type of accident is observed in the primary sector (29,33), followed by the tertiary sector (26,48) and the secondary sector (24,71).…”

“…As shown above, assessing the seriousness of occupational accidents on the basis of the injuries suffered by a worker greatly affects the cost of this type of incident. It is considered a suitable indicator [29], and has been used in several studies [18,[30][31][32][33].…”

Clinical Evaluation of Nerve Function in Electrical Accident Survivors with Persisting Neurosensory Symptoms

“…Such accidents are 25 times more lethal than accidents due to falls, with the majority caused by human error [ 4 ]. Typical injuries due to high-powered electrical currents (>1000 V) passing through the body involve burns, superficial wounds, and lesions on the hands, head or upper limbs [ 5 ].…”