First aid and electrical burns
When an electrical current passes through the human body it heats the tissue along the length of the current flow. This can result in deep burns that often require major surgery and are permanently disabling.
Electrical burns can also be lethal, since people who go through it can experience heart failure as well as shock after the electrical burn.
Generally, an electrical burn will be caused by higher voltages however low voltages can still cause damage especially when the current flows for more than a few fractions of a second.
A voltage as low as 50 volts can cause bodily damage by blocking the electrical signals between the brain and muscles. This can cause:
- The heart to stop beating properly
- The person to stop breathing
- Muscle spasms
There are a number of factors that affect the amount of damage the person will sustain including the parts of the body that are involved, how damp the person is, and the length of time the current flows.
Electrical burns must always be treated with caution as the extent of the injury may not be immediately obvious. Internal injuries can be inconsistent with the size of the burn and in some cases can cause significant internal injuries with no external damage at all.
Knowing First Aid and how to treat an electrical burn is a valuable skill for many to have.
Find out more about First Aid training by SkillsConnect Australia.
