Electricians are professional tradesmen essential to a variety of industrial worksites, including construction; manufacturing; and the repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment. They are needed in the providing of utilities (cable, internet, electricity, etc.) throughout our communities. It is detailed, complex, dangerous work. These workers are licensed specialists in electrical wiring and electric systems, going through years of apprenticeship to learn their trade.
They do all sorts of things in all sorts of places. Electricians are involved not only in installation but the upkeep needs of diverse and complicated electrical components. They may work indoors, in hazardous places like plants or factories or hectic commercial construction projects. Electricians may also deal with the hazards of outdoor worksites while on the job (think overhead power lines; road construction work zones; etc.).
Sometimes, they work alone. Other times, they are forbidden by regulation from doing so: in certain electrical tasks, the extreme risk demands a second person for safety. This two-person rule is particularly important when the electrician is working with high-voltage; in confined spaces; or areas where they might be unable to call for help (like an arc flash). For more, see “The OSHA Two-Person Rule: Keeping Lone Workers Safe,” written and published by Aware360 on December 29, 2024.
- For more on the job requirements of a professional electrician, read the details provided in the Occupational Outlook Handbook published online by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Highest Risks of Harm Facing Electricians on the Job
How dangerous is it to work as an electrician in Illinois or Indiana? The Electrical Safety Foundation International (“ESFI”) is a respected safety organization dedicated to protecting people from being injured or killed in electrical accidents. Explains the ESFI:
The future is increasingly electric. With more electrification comes the potential for increased exposure to electrical products.
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- 69% of all electrical workplace fatalities occur in non-electrical occupations
- Contact with overhead power lines account for 45% of fatalities
- Working on or near energized parts account for another 44%
- 39% of electrical fatalities could have been prevented by safety device controls
- 7% of all fatalities could have been prevented by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs)
In order for the electrical industry to meet the needs of society, safety will be imperative for success and growth.
The ESFI, using research from several reliable sources (including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”)) warns of the greatest risks of fatal injury that face electricians on the job here in Illinois, Indiana, and the rest of the country (results published January 2025). From the ESFI compilation, electricians are known to be at the greatest risk of being catastrophically hurt or killed in one of these five types of work accidents:
- Arc flash/blast
- Burns (thermal or chemical)
- Electrocution / electric shock
- Falls
- Struck-by accidents involving vehicle or equipment.
For more on electricity dangers, read: Industrial Accidents: Electricity Hazards on the Job.
Danger of Harm in High-Risk Electrician Work Accidents: Protections in Place
In the above five scenarios, the risk of serious bodily harm is high for the electrician, no matter the job site (indoor, outdoor, factory, trench, etc.). The risk of death or permanent, life-altering harm facing the electrician is well-documented here, and both formal regulations and laws as well as industrial standards are in place to keep electricians safe from harm.
OSHA Regulations and Industrial Standards
For instance, the obvious risk of suffering an electric shock or an electrocution comes with the danger of death, which might be instantaneous if the voltage/currents are sufficient.
Accordingly, there are formal regulations promulgated by OSHA addressing the electrocution risk. They include 29 CFR §1910.269 and 29 CFR §1910.332. There are also industrial standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association, including NFPA 70E.
Other high-risk electrician work situations have their own safety procedures adopted by law and by industrial protocols. For instance, there are the measures designed to keep electricians safe from injury due to electrical arc-flash accidents. Read, “Protecting Employees from Electrical Arc-Flash Hazards,” published by OSHA in IAE Magazine on March 31, 2025 (discussing OSHA regulations as well as NFPA 70E).
For more on how OSHA works in Illinois and Indiana, read: Workplace Safety and OSHA Regulations in Indiana and Illinois.
Civil Personal Injury Claims Available to the Injured Electrician
When an electrician suffers serious harm on the job, the immediate concerns must be dealing with the bodily injuries themselves as well as the continuing harm suffered by the worker-victim and their loved ones. Medical care and treatment are paramount, of course. Filing for workers’ compensation benefits to help with financial pressures after a serious work accident is critical.
However, electricians and their family members must be made aware of the legal ramifications of the work accident, too. There may be legal personal injury claims for damages available to them under the law that exists independently of any workers’ compensation benefits claim filed on the employer’s liability insurance policy.
With the help of an experienced work accident attorney and a team of experts that will include accident reconstruction experts with a focus on electrical work dangers and work injuries, the electrician may be able to pursue civil monetary damage claims against those who have legal responsibility for what happened. Were safety regulations violated? Were industrial standards ignored?
Sadly, while the law does provide these avenues for justice, the law does not force those who have committed the wrongs that caused the electrician’s injuries to step forward and admit it. They may know they did something bad. They may suspect they failed in some way. They can be silent about this, and it’s totally legal for them to do so.
It is the official duty of the worker victim to investigate the work accident in detail. As plaintiff, the worker victim has the burden of proving the legal causes of action by a preponderance of authenticated and admissible evidence.
With the expert team, the attorney advocating for that injured electrician will be able to determine the specifics that identify:
- what duties of safety and care were in place;
- how are they defined (regulation/statute/industrial standards);
- the individuals and companies with these duties;
- how these duties were ignored or disrespected (breached); and
- the past, present, and future harm suffered by the worker victim and their family members as a result.
One more complication: the worker victim has a deadline to file these civil claims. In most instances, the clock will start ticking on the date of the accident and the deadline to take action will be two years hence. For more, read Deadlines For Accident Claims Must Be Met By Victims or Claims Are Barred.
Also read:
- Electricity Accident Dangers for Road Work Construction Workers in Chicagoland
- Electricians: Great Danger of Serious or Deadly Work Injuries
- Electric Power Lines and Live Wires on the Worksite: Serious or Fatal Electricity Accidents
- Electrical Injuries and Electrocution Accidents on the Construction Site
- Electricity Injuries: Fatal Electrocution Accidents.
Electricians are vulnerable to serious or fatal work accident injuries on the job here in Illinois and Indiana. It is imperative they know they have a right to investigate and pursue civil damage claims independently of filing for worker’s compensation benefits. Please be careful out there.
