An electric shock happens when your body completes a circuit: current enters at one contact point and leaves at another. The route can cross the chest, where the heart and lungs may be affected, but the path and injury cannot be reliably inferred from voltage or visible marks alone. If someone may still be connected to electricity, do not touch them; make the scene safe first.
How current travels through the body
Current flows when there is a complete path between electrical contacts. A person can become part of that path by touching two conductors, touching an energized conductor while also contacting ground, or touching energized metal while grounded. The contact points determine the route through the body; there is no single path for every shock.
For example, a hand touching an energized part and another body part touching a grounded surface can create a route across the chest. Current through the chest can injure the heart or lungs. These examples describe possible paths, not a way to predict the outcome for a particular person. Skin marks also do not reveal the full internal route.
What makes an electric shock more or less severe?
Severity depends on several interacting conditions, including the amount of current through the body, its path, how long exposure lasts, and the current’s frequency. Voltage alone does not determine the injury. Wet or broken skin can lower resistance and allow more current to pass; timing within the heart cycle and a person’s health can also matter. OSHA’s electrical-safety materials discuss these factors in the context of workplace hazards.
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OSHA reproduces the equation I = 116/√t from IEEE Standard 1048-2003 in a specialized worker-protection analysis. It describes a ventricular-fibrillation threshold for 95.5% of adults weighing at least 50 kg, for shock durations from 0.0083 to 3.0 seconds. It is not a universal safe-current limit for the public. OSHA also discusses 6 milliamperes as a recognized let-go threshold in a specific worker-hazard context involving unlimited shock duration and involuntary-reaction hazards; it should not be treated as a general boundary between safe and dangerous exposure. A general-population statistic linking a particular current path to a particular outcome is not established by these sources.
What to do if someone is being shocked
Your first priority is not becoming another victim. The person may still be energized. CDC warns, “Touching the person may pass the current through you.” Do not touch them until the power is off or they have been safely separated from the source.
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- Look for the source and keep clear. Do not touch the person or equipment that may be energized.
- Call 911 or emergency medical help.
- Disconnect the electricity if you can do so safely. If you cannot turn it off, CDC advises moving the source away with a nonconductive object made of cardboard, plastic, or wood. Do not use your body or a conductive object to separate the person.
- Once the person is clear, check breathing and pulse. Begin CPR immediately if breathing or pulse has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow.
- Arrange medical evaluation. Electrical current can cause internal burns even when the visible injury appears small. Do not touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing.
Why a small mark does not mean a minor shock
Electrical current can injure tissue inside the body as well as cause burns at contact points. A small or absent-looking skin injury does not establish that the exposure was harmless. Medical evaluation is important after an electric shock because internal injury may not be apparent from the skin.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How ground-fault protection helps
A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is designed to shut off power quickly when a ground fault occurs. GFCI protection can reduce risk in situations it is designed to address, but it does not eliminate every electrical hazard or make contact with energized equipment safe. The appropriate device and installation depend on the wiring, application, and applicable electrical requirements; use qualified guidance for the specific setting.
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Sources and further guidance
- OSHA, Electrical Safety: Safety and Health for Electrical Trades explains circuit completion, contact scenarios, and factors that affect shock severity.
- OSHA, Basic Electricity Safety describes current paths and possible effects on the chest, heart, and lungs.
- CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself From Electrical Hazards provides bystander precautions and first-aid guidance.
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.269 Appendix C sets out the limited-scope current model and body-resistance cautions.
- OSHA, Electrical Safety describes GFCI purpose in a hospital hazard context.
- OSHA, Electrical Hazard Student Workbook covers how a person can become part of an electrical circuit.
- MSD Manual, Electrical Injuries provides clinical context on current path and exposure duration.
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