First aid for electrical accidents — rescue and resuscitation

The arc-flash guide and the live-working guide cover how an electrical accident can occur and how it is prevented. This article covers what to do when prevention has nonetheless failed: NEN-EN 50110-1 explicitly requires that a sufficient number of persons who work on or near an electrical installation be trained and informed so they can provide appropriate first aid for electric shock and/or burns, and that the installation manager has arranged suitable emergency provisions (first-aid equipment, alerting procedure) in case an electrical accident occurs.

Step 1 — never touch the victim before the source is safe

The most common fatal mistake during a rescue: a bystander grabs the victim while they are still live, and becomes a victim themselves. The first step is therefore always:

De-energise the installation if immediately possible (see also the LOTO guide) — by far the safest option.
Low voltage only (up to 1000 V AC): If immediate disconnection is not possible, use only dry, non-conductive material (a dry wooden broom handle, a plastic pipe, a rope) to separate the victim from the source — never a metal object, and never with bare or damp hands.

Step 1b — high voltage is a different case

The dry-stick method above applies to low voltage only. At medium and high voltage (above 1 kV: cable substation, switchgear, overhead lines, downed conductors) current can arc or spread through the ground over metres, and a stick or rope cannot safely free the victim.

Do not go closer. Keep at least 10 metres away (common rule of thumb) and keep others back — the ground around a fallen or earth-faulted cable can be live (step voltage). Move away with small shuffling steps, not long strides.
Call 112 and state explicitly: high / medium voltage, the location, and whether there are casualties.
Leave the rescue to the emergency services and the network or installation operator: the victim may only be approached once they confirm the installation is isolated and earthed. A skilled person may act themselves only if they can and may isolate and earth the installation under the procedure (see the LOTO guide).
From a safe distance, do not give aid that endangers you; do call out to the victim and warn others.

Step 2 — assess and alert

Once the victim is safely separated from the power source:

Check responsiveness and breathing.
Call emergency services (or the internal company emergency response/BHV alerting procedure) — even if the victim appears responsive: electric shock can cause delayed heart rhythm disturbances that are not immediately visible.

Step 3 — resuscitation if not breathing

An electric shock can cause cardiac arrest. If (normal) breathing is absent: start CPR immediately (30 chest compressions : 2 rescue breaths) and use an AED if available — following resuscitation council guidance — and continue until professional help arrives or the victim recovers.

Step 4 — burns

Electric current can cause both superficial and deep internal burns at the current's entry and exit points, even when the skin itself shows little visible damage. Cool visible burns with lukewarm (not ice-cold) running water for 10–20 minutes and cover with a sterile, non-fluffy dressing; have every electrical accident — even without visible injury — assessed medically because of the risk of internal injury that is not immediately apparent.

Note: this article does not replace first-aid or resuscitation training. NEN 3140 itself focuses on safe work on installations; the requirement for sufficient first-aid-trained persons and emergency provisions comes from NEN-EN 50110-1 and occupational health and safety legislation, and requires a separate, recognised first-aid course with practical training.

Duty to report a serious workplace accident

An electrical accident at work is often a serious occupational accident. Under the Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet, art. 9) the employer must report immediately to the Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (tel. 0800-5151) any accident resulting in death, permanent injury or hospital admission, and have it investigated. Leave the accident scene unchanged as far as possible, except for rescue and safety. Other accidents causing absence or permanent injury must be recorded by the employer.

If you work through a temp agency (uitzendbureau), the hiring employer reports. A bill to make temp agencies directly liable to report as well is pending; check the current status on rijksoverheid.nl or arbeidsinspectie.nl.

Practical relevance

At every location where work is carried out on or near electrical installations (a switchboard, a distribution enclosure, a workshop with variable-speed drives), it must be clear in advance who is first-aid trained, where the nearest AED is located, and what the alerting procedure is — this is part of the workplace risk assessment, not something worked out only during an accident.

Common mistakes

Grabbing the victim directly without first making the source safe or using non-conductive material — the most common cause of a second victim during a rescue attempt.
Delaying the emergency call "because the victim looks fine" — electric shock can cause delayed heart rhythm disturbances that only appear after some time.
No pre-arranged first-aid/AED provision at a location where work on electrical installations takes place — NEN-EN 50110-1 states this as an explicit requirement on the installation manager, not as optional advice.