We all know how dangerous electricity can be, even to those with the proper training. Here’s a look at some electrical accident statistics and a few very unusual incidents that have happened across the globe.

Electric shocks can range from an unpleasant but harmless jolt of static electricity, like when you touch a metal door handle on a hot, dry day, to a lethal discharge from a power line. The great majority of deaths occur from alternating current at house-current frequencies of 50 hertz in Europe. Most of the deaths occur from contact with conductors at less than 500 volts. That’s not to say that high voltages are less dangerous, but they are generally present only on apparatus and supply lines operated by utility companies, which attempt to ensure that only trained and authorised persons have access to them.

UK Stats

The following statistics are taken from the Electrical Safety First website.

Low voltage electrocutions and fatal electrical burns in GB from low voltage electricity supplies (2010 data)

Total: 28

Work related electrocutions: 6

Home or leisure electrocutions: 22

Electric shocks: People receiving a mains voltage electric shock per year (15+): 2.5 million

Of whom received a serious injury: 350,000 All accidental domestic fires 2011/12

Accidental domestic fires of electrical origin

Deaths: 244

Injuries: 5,956

Fires: 37,601

The weird but not so wonderful….

Re-creation of woman’s death proves too real Yooket Paen, 57, of Angthong, Thailand accidentally slipped on “farmyard mud,” grabbed a naked live wire and got electrocuted to death. After the funeral, her sister, Yooket Pan, 52, was showing her neighbours how the accident happened when she herself slipped, grabbed the same live wire and also got electrocuted to death.

A lightbulb moment…

French pop star Claude François - who penned My Way - was accidentally electrocuted when he tried to fix a broken light bulb while standing in a filled bathtub. Stage fright… Keith Relf, guitarist for The Yardbirds, died while practicing his electric guitar. He sustained a fatal electric shock due to the fact that his axe wasn’t properly grounded.

Jogging tragedy…

A jogger died after apparently running into a live electricity cable while out running. Dr James Kew, 41, was out training with three members of his running club when the tragedy occurred. It is understood Dr Kew, from Ashdon in Essex, was leading the pack when he ran into the 11,000 volt cable which was dangling from overhead. As Dr Kew came into contact with the cable he completed an electrical circuit with the ground, he died instantly.

Headstand freak accident…

A Florida State University student standing on his head to try and cure his hiccups apparently was electrocuted when he fell against a candy machine and brushed against an electrical wire. Patrick Wallace, 26, of West Palm Beach, was standing on his head when he collapsed between the candy machine and a money-changing machine.

Stay safe out there and visit Electrical Safety First for more safety advice and if you would like to speak to a professional about any electrical issues in your home then give us a call on 01858 414304, email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tweet us at @mmsparkies