Electrical Injury through the Eyes of Professional Electricians

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Summary Statement

A link to place an order for a study on attitudes of professional electricians on their knowledge and beliefs related to occupational electrical injury.

 

Copies of the compete article may be ordered from the Academy (e-mail : publications@nyas.org) or through Copyright Clearance Center (www.copyright.com). Copies of volume 888 are also available through on-demand printing, and may be ordered directly from the Academy.

This paper presents the first results of and attitudinal survey that was conducted among professional electricians in order to explore their knowledge and beliefs related to occupational electrical injury. Four hundred eighty-one out of 1200 questionnaires were returned and analyzed. The presented statistical and qualitative data reflect electricians' personal experiences with electrical injury, their communication patterns around electrical trauma, their understanding of possible electrical injury sequelae, their safety beliefs and altitudes towards occupational dangers, and the reasons for their occupational choice. We expect that the results of this study will enhance our understanding of the psychological profile, environment, and culture of electrical workers. The collected data may also help to identify those at risk for poor outcome after electrical injury and determine a new set of risk factors to be taken into account by medical professionals, social workers, and union/utility training officers.