Electrical shocks can stop a person’s breathing or heart, and also cause burns (see Shock, Burns and scalds).
If the victim is still in contact with the electricity source, be extremely careful that you don’t become the next casualty. Switch off the current if you can. If this is not possible, push the casualty away from the electricity source using some form of insulated or non-conducting lever (a wooden chair, a broom handle). Remember that water is an extremely good conductor, so beware of wet hands, wet floors, and anything damp.
High-voltage electricity – the kind carried by power lines or railway cables – is usually instantaneously fatal. Never go near such a casualty; high voltage electricity can ‘arc’ several metres through the air.
As soon as you have switched off the electricity or separated the victim from the faulty appliance, check for breathing and pulse, and give artificial respiration (see Breathing) or cardiac resuscitation (see Circulation) as necessary, place in the recovery position (see Unconsciousness), and dial 911.
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