Electrical Accidents — Reporting, First Aid, Resuscitation & 9 Real Case Studies

What Is an Electrical Accident?

An electrical accident is any electric shock or burn — minor, major, or fatal — suffered by railway servants or others, caused directly or indirectly by electrical causes. A person may suffer shock by contacting: (1) live LT or HT mains; (2) overhead lines that, though made dead by isolation at both ends, still develop HIGH POTENTIALS from electro-static or electro-magnetic induction (parallelism with other live high-voltage lines, or lightning during thunderstorms); (3) parts that have become live from leakage (low winding IR, high earth resistance, or discontinuous earthing lead); (4) areas of high potential gradient, such as near an earth electrode carrying fault current insufficient to blow a fuse or trip a breaker.

• In any well-maintained installation, no electrical accidents should occur. Real root causes traced through proper investigation: disregard/non-observance of rules; ignorance of rules/insufficient training; carelessness, casual/indifferent working methods (including improper earthing); inadequate supervision; faulty protective equipment/poor maintenance; over-confidence or laziness; old habits from non-electrified-line working; misunderstanding of instructions; inadvertence.

Action to Be Taken (Preliminary Precautions)

1. The senior-most official present must, IMMEDIATELY: cordon off the area if OHE has broken down, and warn train Drivers.
2. Arrange to cut off supply by phoning TPC or the nearest Electrical Department official, and simultaneously get an Authorized Person to the spot. NO ONE may attempt to rescue an electrocuted person until power supply has been cut off.
3. Send for medical assistance. Once the injured person is separated from the electrified lines, render first aid — start artificial respiration IMMEDIATELY if the patient is not breathing.

The Authorized Electrical Official (SSE/JE) arriving at site shall first verify the above steps were correctly taken, then make a detailed note of all factors, preserve evidence, record statements, carry out preliminary investigation, and advise Sr.DEE in writing. Resuscitation treatment must be CONTINUED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS OR MORE — there have been cases of patients, though apparently dead, regaining consciousness. ALL electrical accidents on Railway premises, however slight the injury, must be reported without delay — even if the injured person remains capable of performing duties.

Legal Framework & Reporting

• Governed not only by Zonal Railway 'Rules for Reporting Accidents' but also the INDIAN ELECTRICITY ACT 1910, Section 33, and Rule 44A of I.E. Rules 1967.
• The CEE of each Railway is APPOINTED as Electrical Inspector to the Central Government for that Railway (Railway Board Notification No. 60/Elec./112/6, dated 10 June 1961).
• The Electrical SSE/JE sends written notice of every accident to the Electrical Inspector (CEE) through Sr.DEE/DEE — in cases of human/animal loss, WITHIN 24 HOURS of knowledge of the accident. Written report uses the form at Annexure 'XIII' of I.E. Rules.
• All FATAL and GRIEVOUS HURT accidents must ALSO be reported immediately to the nearest Police Station/District Magistrate/Sub-Divisional Officer — the body (fatal cases) shall NOT be moved until police inquiry is complete.
• Workshop-premises accidents also fall under Factory Rules/Act — the Manager sends a detailed report to the Factory Inspector, in addition to CEE/CWE/DRM.

Every accident is inquired into by an officer, with a report to the CEE (Electrical Inspector) WITHIN ONE WEEK, covering: locality description with sketch; evidence analysis; findings on exact cause; fixing responsibility for staff negligence (and whether 'Rules for Safe Working on Electrical Equipment' were followed); recommendations to prevent recurrence; any special features. An annual accident statement is submitted by 15 APRIL each year, feeding into the CEE's Annual Report to CEA.

First Aid Box — Real Contents (Two Real Lists)

Fixed station boxes may be wooden/aluminium; portable train boxes must be aluminium/metal, not bigger than 22cm × 18cm × 10cm, weighing about 1.5kg (never exceeding 2kg) with contents.

At big Railway stations, boxes are refilled from the SS (station stores) — NOT sent to Health Units/Hospitals for refilling; at small stations, they may be sent to Health Units.

Resuscitation from Electrical Shock

Instructions (in English and the Regional language) must be exhibited in all inspection sheds, stabling depots, repair shops, stations, sub-stations, etc. — every authorized official must know these instructions and be able to render artificial respiration.

• Removal from contact: if the person is still in contact with the apparatus, the rescuer should stand on a DRY WOODEN CHAIR if possible while removing the victim. Otherwise, pull free using a dry coat, dry rope, coconut matting, or stick — preferably standing on a rubber mat or dry mat. NEVER touch the person's body with bare hands. Extinguish smouldering clothes, check breathing, send for a Doctor.

Method 1 (Face Downward / Prone Position)

• If burns are present, avoid positioning that puts pressure on them; this face-downward method is preferred unless badly burnt in front (switch to Method 2 instead).
• Expiration motion: kneel over the patient, rest hands flat on the small of the back, thumbs nearly touching, fingers spread over the lower ribs — lean firmly but gently forward, exerting steady downward pressure.
• Inspiration motion: rock gently backward WITHOUT removing hands, keeping them positioned for the next expiration press. Continue both movements.
• The double movement should be performed ABOUT 15 TIMES PER MINUTE, imitating slow breathing. If the operator breathes slowly along with the motion, the proper rhythm follows naturally.
• Do NOT cease operations until natural breathing is re-established — this may take HALF AN HOUR or even longer.

Method 2 (On the Back / Supine Position)

• Used if badly burnt in front. Loosen clothes around chest/stomach; place a rolled-up coat or improvised pillow beneath the shoulders so the head falls backwards; draw the tongue forward.
• First motion: kneel in position, grasp the patient just below the elbows, draw arms over the head until horizontal, hold for ABOUT 2 SECONDS.
• Second motion: bring the patient's arms down on each side of the chest, pressing inward to compress the chest; hold 2 SECONDS, then repeat both motions at the same rate.
• The lung-inflating effect is enhanced if the arms swing outward as they lift. If more than one person is present, draw the tongue out during each outward (lung-inflating) stroke and release during each inward (deflating) stroke.
• In both methods, avoid violent operations — internal organ injury may result from excessive/sudden pressure. After recovery, treat serious burns with proper oil dressing; avoid exposing the patient to cold; administer NO restoratives until the Doctor arrives (cold water and moderate smelling salts are acceptable).

9 Real Documented Electrical Accidents — Case Studies

This chapter presents real accidents that actually occurred, each illustrating why a specific safety rule exists. These are genuinely valuable for understanding not just WHAT the rules say, but WHY they matter.

1. A Khalasi (Engineering Dept.) sustained severe burns handling a long boiler tube under live OHE, which accidentally touched the contact wire. LESSON: whenever any work is within 2m of live OHE — even a remote possibility — a Permit to Work must be obtained after making lines dead and earthed, BEFORE work begins.
2. An electric fitter examining a lowered pantograph (contact wire 5.5m, lowered panto 3.66m — ~2m clearance) was shocked when ANOTHER employee raised the loco's other pantograph, energizing the lowered one too. LESSON: no one should ever get up on a locomotive roof under live OHE — a shutdown must ALWAYS be effected first, even for a stabled locomotive.
3. At an insulated overlap with an interrupter, one work party earthed OHE on their side and let men start work, WRONGLY presuming the other party had earthed the other side. Some workmen got shocked from the unearthed portion. LESSON: (a) each party protects itself with INDEPENDENT earths; (b) at an insulated overlap, EITHER both portions must be independently earthed OR electrical continuity must be ensured (isolators/interrupters kept closed).
4. A supervisor took power block for two elementary sections on a portal, OVERLOOKING that the same portal also carried a siding's wires — a worker touched the siding's live OHE and died. LESSON: a supervisor must be THOROUGHLY familiar with everything a portal structure supports, ensuring ALL wires on it are dead and earthed before work begins.
5. An Electrical JE received a FATAL shock from OHE that was isolated but NOT earthed — after finishing work, he removed the earth, went down to check the time, then went back up and touched the un-earthed (but induced-voltage-carrying) OHE. A slight drizzle worsened the shock (wet feet, wet platform). LESSON: OHE must be earthed per rules BEFORE commencing work AND for the ENTIRE duration work is in progress — even brief gaps are dangerous, since induced voltage from an adjacent live parallel line persists even on an isolated line.
6. An Assistant Driver of a diesel loco (Steel Works, electrified yard) received a severe shock climbing onto the roof — the live-OHE warning notice was NOT painted on the locomotive, and he wasn't instructed on the hazard. LESSON: warning notices must be painted not just on Railway locomotives but PRIVATE PARTY locomotives too — and their operating staff must also be educated in safety rules.
7. A Linesman working on an isolator received a shock — one earth had been placed on each side before starting, but during the work the isolator was OPENED and induced voltage (from a discharge rod not making proper contact) caused the shock. LESSON: when working on an isolator, either keep it JUMPERED or do NOT OPEN it at all during the work — in addition to the earth-on-each-side precaution.
8. An unskilled Khalasi, sent to renew HV fuses on a failed auxiliary transformer, attempted the job WITHOUT a Permit to Work, touched live 25kV wires, and was electrocuted. LESSON: a direct result of deputing an UNAUTHORIZED person without a certificate of competence to work on live equipment.
9. An electrical Fitter was electrocuted repairing a transformer jumper connection — he had isolated the transformer and posted a helper near the circuit breaker to close it ONLY on his signal. The helper mistakenly interpreted a distant person waving as the Fitter's signal, and closed the breaker. LESSON: this was a result of adopting SHORT-CUT signalling methods instead of the prescribed shutdown-and-Permit-to-Work procedure — such short-cuts are NEVER permissible, even to speed up work.