Is There a Higher Chance for Electric Shock Injury in the Spring?

Posted in Personal Injury on June 27, 2019

Electric shock can produce mild to severe injuries, depending on how an individual receives the electricity and its voltage. Though we all know that electric shock is dangerous, it isn’t always predictable enough to prevent. This is the case with instances of shock in the workplace and other locations that one would typically assume to be safe. It is common knowledge that shocks can occur while doing certain activities, like touching electrical sockets, but most don’t ask the question of when they are most likely to occur.

Common Causes of Electric Shock

Electric shock can occur anywhere that an individual is exposed to some sort of electrical wiring, but as mentioned previously, these “danger zones” are not always apparent. In the workplace or other unsafe premises, electric shock can occur when exposed to the following risk factors:

  • Exposed and/or frayed wiring, cords, or extension cord leads
  • Faulty appliances that the owner has not repaired or replaced
  • Electrical appliances or tools exposed to water
  • Deteriorated or improperly installed wiring systems that run through a building
  • Powerlines that are down

In many cases, conditions that expose employees, customers, or guests to an active source of electricity are based in the property owner’s negligence. If the owner is responsible for causing your shock, you have grounds to pursue legal action.

Common Shock-Related Injuries

Electric shock causes injuries that range in severity. Some of the most common injuries associated with electric shock include:

  • Burns
  • Swelling
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Internal burns
  • Vision issues, vision loss, cataracts
  • Minor deformities
  • Muscle pain
  • Muscle spasms or convulsions
  • Seizures
  • Nerve damage
  • Death
  • Heart attack

Many of these injuries can be either mild or severe. For instance, shocks that occur near the eyes could cause temporary vision issues, partial or complete vision loss, and even cataracts. The severity of a symptom depends on how the individual sustained their injury.

Knowing what causes electric shock and the damages it causes leads us to consider the different conditions that impact the incidence of electrical shock. Can certain external factors make it more or less likely to sustain a severe injury?

Why Is Electric Shock More Common in the Spring?

Electric shock is, in fact, more common in the spring. In fact, many Tennessee employees that work near electricity, like utility workers, continually battle springtime injuries caused by unexpected shock. This happens for two main reasons.

Wet Weather Conditions

Electricity and water do not mix well. Though there might not be any more snow, the spring season in Tennessee come with the highest level of precipitation than any other season in this state. After winter, snow begins to melt. Melting snow combined with this large volume of rain water increases the potential for flooding and creates an overall wetter environment.

Because wet weather does not excuse utility and construction workers from their jobs, they are at an increased risk for electric shock during spring. Therefore, these brave individuals must remain overtly aware and precise in their actions while carrying out work.

Weakened Building Structures

After winter, buildings and power lines and other large structures are no longer in top shape. Winter in Tennessee comes with snowstorms and wind that has the power to weaken sturdy foundations. Spring time is the first chance we get to inspect the damages that winter wrought throughout the state. Moreover, spring in Tennessee also comes with huge gusts of winds that blow over the same areas. Many of the items damaged during severe wind conditions are power lines that have been knocked over or otherwise compromised.

Electric shocks are indeed more common in Spring than in any other season, if not only because we emerge from winter’s frost ready to work and thrive, only to be met by a wet, windy environment. Though many cases of shock result from some form of negligence in maintenance and/or wiring methods, the weather can also increase your chance of being shocked.