Life-changing or trivial: Electricians’ views about electrical accidents

Abstract

BACKGROUND:It is well known that electrical accidents can cause physical injury. Less well known is that long-term consequences may include emotional and cognitive problems.OBJECTIVE:To explore electricians’ experiences and perceptions of work-related electrical accidents, with focus on psychological short- and long-term consequences, including how contacts with health care services and the workplace were perceived.METHODS:Semi-structured interviews with 23 Swedish male electricians, aged 25– 68, who had experienced at least one electrical accident and reported residual sensory, musculoskeletal, cognitive or emotional symptoms. Data was analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis.RESULTS:Immediate emotional reactions included surprise, confusion, fear, anxiety, and anger; also long-term consequences were seen. Experiencing a no-let-go situation was particularly stressful. The cause of the accident, and questions about guilt and blame were central in the aftermath. Lack of knowledge and routine among health care professionals concerning electrical injury was reported, as well as lack of medical and psychological follow-up.CONCLUSIONS:For some informants, the accident had been a life-changing event, while for others it was an event of little importance. Adequate handling at the workplace, and from health care personnel, including follow-up, could facilitate rehabilitation and return to work.

Cognition and mental wellbeing after electrical accidents: a survey and a clinical study among Swedish male electricians

“…One of the risk factors for PTSD and major depression after EI, as reported in a retrospective study of 73 EI patients , was having experienced the no-let-go phenomenon, i.e., when muscle contractions caused by the current give an involuntary grip and thus prolong exposure. The no-let-go phenomenon emerged as a particularly stressful event also in our interview study regarding electricians' experiences of an accident (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018). The electricians described severe anxiety and mortal fear in a situation where they could not voluntarily release from the electrical current (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018).…”

“…The no-let-go phenomenon emerged as a particularly stressful event also in our interview study regarding electricians' experiences of an accident (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018). The electricians described severe anxiety and mortal fear in a situation where they could not voluntarily release from the electrical current (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018). Other risk factors named by Kelley et al (1999) included having experienced altered consciousness or loss of consciousness at the time of the accident.…”

“…While voltage level has been seen to be unrelated to cognitive and mental outcomes also in other studies (e.g., Bailey et al 2008;Ramati et al 2009), we were rather surprised that the no-let-go phenomenon did not appear as a (statistically significant) risk factor. The nolet-go phenomenon emerged as particularly stressful in the interviews with the electricians in the clinical study, and was described as having induced severe anxiety and mortal fear (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018). In addition, it was reported as a risk factor for PTSD among EI patients in Kelley et al (1999).…”

“…It should also be noted that the rather large variation in reported number of severe incidents (from 0 to 90) in the survey study, may indicate a differential threshold for reporting an incident to be severe among the electricians. The severity of the most severe incident evidently varied, which was illustrated in the interview study of the clinical study participants (Thomée and Jakobsson 2018). For some, the most severe incident was a very brief shock and for others a life-threatening event leading to long-term hospitalization.…”

“…The study was part of a research project done in collaboration between several occupational medicine clinics in Sweden which had the aim to examine a wide range of long-term effects of EI. The incentive was to increase knowledge as a basis for improved management of EI, both in the health care setting and at the workplace, as well as for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of long-term physical and psychological dysfunction (Rådman et al 2016a, b;Ek et al 2015;Thomée and Jakobsson 2018;Tondel et al 2016). The focus of this particular study was on long-term consequences for cognition and mental wellbeing after EI, and it includes results from a survey and a clinical study.…”