Electric Shock First Aid: What to Do at Work in Australia

Electric Shock First Aid: What to Do at Work in Australia

Electric shock is one of the most immediately dangerous incidents that can happen on an Australian worksite, and how the first person on the scene responds in the first few seconds genuinely matters. Acting too quickly in the wrong way can turn one casualty into two. This guide covers the correct electric shock first aid response for Australian workplaces, why every incident needs medical assessment regardless of how the person appears, and what your kit and your business need to have in place.

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Which Trades Face This Risk Most

Electric shock is an obvious risk for electricians, but it is far from limited to that trade. Welders and boilermakers work with high voltage equipment daily. HVAC technicians regularly work near switchboards and live circuits in roof spaces. Anyone using power tools with a damaged lead, working near overhead power lines, or operating equipment in wet conditions faces a genuine electric shock risk, regardless of their trade. Our guide on first aid kit requirements for welders and boilermakers covers this hazard in more depth for that specific trade.

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The First and Most Important Step: Make It Safe

Before anyone touches or approaches a person who has received an electric shock, the source of electricity needs to be dealt with first. Do not touch the person if they are still in contact with the electrical source, since you risk becoming a second casualty. Turn off the power at the switchboard, isolation switch, or circuit breaker if this can be done quickly and safely. If the power cannot be turned off immediately and you have not been trained to safely isolate the person from the source, do not attempt to move them or the source yourself. Call triple zero and wait for emergency services or a trained person to make the area safe.

This first step is the single most important part of the entire response. Every year, well meaning bystanders are injured or killed attempting to help someone before the power has actually been isolated.

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What to Do Once the Area Is Safe

Once you are certain the person is no longer in contact with a live electrical source, the response follows standard first aid principles:

• Call triple zero immediately if this has not already been done
• Check whether the person is responsive and breathing normally
• If they are not breathing normally, begin CPR straight away and continue until emergency services arrive or the person recovers
• If they are breathing, place them in the recovery position and monitor closely, since their condition can change quickly
• Look for and treat any visible burns, including entry and exit wound burns where electricity passed through the body, which are often more serious than they first appear
• Treat for shock by keeping the person warm and calm while waiting for paramedics
• Do not leave the person alone, and continue monitoring breathing and responsiveness until help arrives

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Why Every Electric Shock Needs Medical Assessment

A person who has received an electric shock and appears to be walking, talking, and feeling fine still needs medical assessment. Electric current can cause internal burns and tissue damage that are not visible from the outside, and it can trigger heart rhythm disturbances that may not appear until hours after the initial incident. Because of this delayed risk, every electric shock at work should be treated as requiring a medical review, even a shock that seemed minor at the time. This is not a case where waiting to see how the person feels is the safe option.

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Your WHS Obligations Around Electrical Risk in Australia

Under the model Work Health and Safety Act, Australian businesses carry a duty to manage electrical risk in the workplace, which generally includes regular testing and tagging of portable electrical equipment, installing residual current devices on relevant circuits, and ensuring workers are trained to recognise and avoid electrical hazards before an incident occurs. First aid provisions also need to reflect this risk, particularly for trades where electric shock is a realistic possibility rather than a remote one.

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What Should Be in Your Kit for Electric Shock Response

A kit prepared for electric shock incidents should include a CPR mask, since resuscitation may be needed immediately and without warning, burn dressings or hydrogel sachets for entry and exit wound burns, a thermal blanket for treating shock while waiting for paramedics, and general wound dressings in case the incident also involved a fall, since a shock strong enough to cause muscle contraction can throw a person backward with real force.

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The Practical Takeaway

The correct response to an electric shock starts before you even reach the person, by making sure the power is genuinely off or that you are not putting yourself at risk by approaching. From there, standard first aid principles apply, but every incident, however minor it appears, needs a proper medical assessment given the risk of delayed complications. If electric shock is a realistic hazard in your workplace, make sure your first aid kit and your team's training reflect that.

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This is general safety information rather than medical advice. If someone at your workplace has received an electric shock, call triple zero immediately and do not approach them until you are certain the power source has been isolated.

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Tax Deductible

First aid kits are one hundred percent tax deductible as a workplace safety expense for Australian businesses. Keep your receipt and claim it at tax time.

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