If an electrician injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward
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.
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 No Win, No Fee work accident compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.
With around 1,000 serious electric shocks reported every year, you are not alone
The HSE record around 1,000 serious electric shock accidents each year. Contact with electricity accounts for 6% of all construction sector fatal work injuries (hse.gov.uk).
The construction sector accounts for a disproportionately high number of workers who sustain serious injuries in the course of their work. 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.
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 need to move forward.
Read more:
Health and safety breach injury claims
How much compensation can I claim for an electrician injury?
Compensation for a shock or other injury working as a electrician is based on:
- how serious the injury is,
- the disruption caused by your injury to your daily life and work,
- any financial expenses or losses you?ve had due to your injury.
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General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.
Special damages will 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
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Average electrician work injury compensation payouts
The following electrician work injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).
These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.
Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).
Asbestos-related disease
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Asbestosis and pleural thickening | Low respiratory disability (1% to 10% attributable to asbestos) | £16,750 to £39,380 |
| Asbestosis and pleural thickening | Significant respiratory disability with progressive symptoms of breathlessness | £39,380 to £117,430 |
| Lung cancer | £77,690 to £107,990 | |
| Mesothelioma | Causing severe pain and reduced quality of life | £70,620 to £126,980 |
Hearing loss
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of hearing in one ear | £34,740 to £50,520 | |
| Total deafness | £100,680 to £121,650 | |
| Total deafness and loss of speech | Deafness at an early age that prevented the development of normal speech | £121,650 to £156,070 |
| Total deafness and blindness | Around £448,180 |
Leg injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Simple tibia or fibula fracture | Simple fracture with full recovery | Up to £13,140 |
| Simple femur fracture | Simple femur fracture with no damage to articular surfaces | £10,110 to £15,620 |
| More serious fractures | Incomplete fracture recovery with ongoing symptoms | £19,930 to £30,800 |
Non-facial body scars
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Burns with scarring and ongoing pain | £2,630 to £8,690 |
| Severe | Severe burns with continuing pain and psychological injury | Up to £116,300 |
Tinnitus & Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Slight tinnitus or slight NIHL | Up to £7,780 | |
| Slight or occasional tinnitus with slight NIHL | £8,080 to £13,970 | |
| Mild tinnitus or mild NIHL | Around £13,000 | |
| Mild tinnitus and NIHL | £13,970 to £16,530 | |
| Moderate tinnitus and NIHL | £16,530 to £32,960 | |
| Severe tinnitus and NIHL | £32,960 to £50,520 |
The psychological impact of work injuries
In addition to physical injuries, a work accident can inflict lasting psychological harm.
Our 2025 Work Injury Claimant Survey reveals the extent of psychological trauma, with 25.00% of claims involving a psychological injury, 64.09% of which related to a physical injury.
An electrician injured on the job, particularly by an electrical shock, may experience heightened anxiety and phobia around electrical systems (electrophobia), or even PTSD. This can have a crippling effect on their ability to work in their chosen profession.
Even after your physical recovery or rehabiliation is complete, hidden psychological injuries can take longer to heal.
Factoring compensation for psychological harm will ensure you receive mental health support and other therapies that may not be readily available on the NHS in your area.
Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.
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 2025 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?
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
Electric shocks often cause surface burns, but can also lead to deeper, internal injuries to organs and bones. They can immediately affect the heart and nervous system, leading to conditions like myocardial infarction and strokes, and may cause haemorrhages at the entry point. Long-term complications include kidney failure, spinal cord injuries, and chronic pain conditions like CRPS. Shocks can also result in secondary injuries from being thrown backward.
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.
Electrician injury claims: employers' liability explained
Agency worker claims typically involve workplace negligence. Click the icon below to explore the steps in making a claim.
Can I make a no win, no fee electrician work injury claim?
Yes. With no win, no fee, you can claim electrician work injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.
Get expert advice now
Interested in talking to a work accident specialist about your claim?
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Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (reviewed: 28/07/2024)
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (reviewed: 28/07/2024)
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (reviewed: 28/07/2024)
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.