Contact with electricity or exposure to it remains one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and injuries in the United States, according to an analysis recently released by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI).
ESFI gathered data on fatal and non-fatal occupational electrical injuries from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), providing raw data that ESFI has reviewed and analyzed as statistics were released. The ESFI quantified, synthesized, and published information from Labor Department reports—the most recent data set covers the 13 years from 2011 through 2023.
“As the leading authority on electrical safety, ESFI’s compilation and analysis of this data illustrates the occupations most at-risk from electrical injury and death as well as identifies the main causes,” ESFI Executive Director Jennifer LeFevre said in a statement.
According to ESFI’s analysis of OSHA data, the occupations with the most electrical fatalities were:
- Electricians: 212 fatalities
- Laborers, except construction: 142 fatalities
- Construction laborers: 131 fatalities
- Electrical power installers and repairers: 122 fatalities
- Tree trimming occupations: 64 fatalities
- Electricians’ apprentices: 45 fatalities
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration mechanics: 43 fatalities
- Roofers: 38 fatalities
The group found that 74% of workplace electrical fatalities occurred in non-electrical occupations, while only 26% occurred in electrical occupations. The group found that electrical fatalities have remained consistent year over year, with a slight downward trend since 2011. The construction industry had the highest number of electrical fatalities, according to the ESFI.
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