Work — Related electrical burns among workers of Electricite de France: A review of 938 cases during the ten-year period 1980 to 1989

The great majority of work-related electrical accidents include electrical burns. A retrospective study was made by our Service about 938 electrical burns sustained by workers of Electricité de France (EDF) during the ten-year period 1980 to 1989. Occupational electrical burns accounted only for 3.1 % of the whole occupational accidents at EDF whatever causal agent induced them. But these injuries are serious. More than 27 % of fatal occupational accidents at EDF were electrical burns. The mortality rate of electrical burns was 2.9 %. Among the survivors, complications were numerous. Delayed sequelae were observed in 30.3 % of the cases. Sixteen amputations were performed in cases of serious high voltage electrical burns. The main causes of these injuries were human errors which are difficult to entirely overcome.