Electrician injury
compensation claims

If an electrician injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward

If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by a work injury, we can help.

If your injuries were caused by your employer or a co-worker, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

You can make a work accident compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.

You are not alone

Contact with electricity accounts for 6% of all construction sector fatal work injuries (hse.gov.uk).

Electricians face the risk of electric shock in the course of their work. Electricians are also exposed to the risk of other injuries as they often work on building sites, at height and alongside other trades using power tools and heavy plant.

Building sites are inherently dangerous places to work, and these dangers are reflected in the official building site accident statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive ('HSE'). The figures reveal that 53,000 workers sustained non-fatal injuries at work averaged over the three-year period 2020/21-2022/23. The construction sector accounts for a disproportionately high number of workers who sustain serious injuries in the course of their work.

Although workers have a duty to take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions, working to tight schedules with other tradesmen and contractors may increase the likelihood of accident, especially when health and safety regulations are neglected.

Read more:

Health and safety breach injury claims

Electric shock injury claims

If you decide to make an electrician work injury claim, your work accident solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you deserve.

Live power sources

In addition to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAW) place duties on employers, employees and self-employed people to protect workers from death and injury caused by electricity. They state that work being carried out on or near electrical systems and electrical equipment should be done in such a way as to avoid unreasonable risks.

Electric shocks and electrocution occur where the power source is live. An electrician working safely should either isolate the supply or switch it off. If an electrician has been told by a responsible party, such as a site manager, that the power is off in the area where he is working - and it is not - it is likely compensation can be claimed for resulting injuries.

Ensuring tools are maintained to a high standard of repair is vital and failure to do so may be evidence of an employer's negligence. Diagnostic equipment that does not work properly may give false information and potentially lead to electric shocks.

Burns and internal injuries

Most common injuries are burns caused by the current passing along the skin's surface and these may be minor. However, where the current passes to earth it may cause deep burns over a wide area. If the current passes through the there may be serious deep injury to organs or to muscles and bone, which is not visible on the skin.

Other immediate effects are those on the cardiac and nervous system, with acute MI (myocardial infarction), respiratory arrest and strokes all being reported. Haemorrhage may occur where the current entered the .

Delayed complications may include kidney failure due to renal damage, and spinal cord injury. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or other chronic pain symptoms may develop weeks or months later.

Electric shocks usually result in the electrician being thrown backwards from the source and he may sustain secondary injuries.

See also:

Burn injury compensation claims

Chronic pain compensation claims

The regulations

Work at Height Regulations 2005

The purpose of The Work at Height Regulations 2005 is to prevent death and injury to workers by falls from a height by proper planning and supervision and by using the right type of equipment.

Electricians often work at height; installing or repairing electrical cables or equipment in ceilings and roof spaces. The work may be in a confined or badly lit area, adding to the hazards. Failure to provide the correct platforms, ladders, and where appropriate, safety harnesses, may be evidence of an employer's negligence.

Fragile floorboards and unstable stairs may present further risk of falling where electricians are rewiring old buildings.

Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety trainers, which offer more feel underfoot on ladders and steps than steel toecap boots, may also reduce the risk of falls from height.

Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 came into force on 6 April 2022.

This legislation means that employers have an obligation to provide free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all workers, including workers who are self-employed or on a zero-hours contract.

Under the previous 1992 regulations, employers were only required to provide PPE to employees with a formal employment contract.

If you are injured as a result of air pollution at work and your employer failed to provide you with suitable PPE, you may be entitled to claim compensation - even if you are self-employed.

Exposure to asbestos

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has run several campaigns to raise awareness of asbestos exposure and urges electricians to wear filtering dust masks, preferably face fitted.

Working in buildings constructed before 1999 may expose electricians to asbestos. Although there is a legal requirement for building owners to identify and log the whereabouts of asbestos, it is not always known. An electrician who unwittingly drills into asbestos risks inhaling or ingesting the fibres.

Symptoms of asbestos related illness take many years to develop, so it is important that any potential asbestos exposure is noted in medical records.

Bumps, cuts and lacerations

EAW regulations state that any personal protective equipment (PPE) provided must be suitable and properly maintained and used to prevent and minimise injury

Electricians working in tight spaces such as service voids and ducts cannot wear a traditional hard hat, so instead should be provided with a well-fitting bump cap to protect the head from injury.

Ordinary work gloves do not allow electricians the dexterity they need to carry out their work and therefore may not be worn. Issuing cut resistant gloves that allow feel and grip will encourage use and protect the hands from puncture wounds and lacerations from sharp edges and tools.

Since safety glasses can be made to any prescription these should be provided to protect the eyes - and allow the electrician to see what he is doing.

Do I qualify for electrician work injury compensation?

If you've been injured or made ill in the last three years and it wasn't your fault, then you will be entitled to claim compensation for electrician work injury.

Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. Alternatively, you can speak to a claims advisor on 0800 376 1001 and find out if you have a claim in minutes.

Compensation claims with shared fault

It's not unusual for personal injury claims to involve fault on both sides.

In our 2023 Work Injury Claimant Survey, we found that 26.02% of injured workers felt they had at least some responsibility for the injuries they sustained.

If you believe you were partly responsible, you may still have a claim. Even if an employee's mistake caused the accident, your employer would usually be liable, so you can still claim compensation.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How much compensation can I claim for an electrician work injury?

The amount of money you could claim for an injury will depend on:

• the severity of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injuries have affected your life. Your solicitor will take these considerations into account to calculate the correct compensation award.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Special damages

If it can be proved that your injury left you unable to work, special damages can be awarded for any lost earnings, loss of commission or bonuses, and loss of pension contributions. It may also be possible to claim for loss of future earnings, if the medical prognosis establishes that you won't be able to work for any period in the future.

These damages will also cover the cost of any medical procedures you might need to treat or recover from your electrician work injury such as burn care, diagnostic imaging tests and surgical intervention.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

Employers' liability claims claims

Work accident claims, or employers' liability claims, differ from other types of claim. Click on the icons below to read more about claiming:

Work
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How we can help you with your work accident claim

Your solicitor will fight for the best possible compensation settlement for you, and the highly-experienced panel of solicitors have an excellent track record of winning work accident claims.

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The Good Solicitor Guide

Kevin Walker obtains £80,000 for a construction worker's catastrophic hand injury

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Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher

About the author

Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.