“But it was Just a Little Shock”

The perception still exists that `just a little shock' passing through the human body poses no threat of harm. While whatever harm that occurs to the body frequently cannot be quantified for any given incident, sometimes that harm can manifest itself in unanticipated ways. There is still a perception among many people both within and outside of the electrical industry that electrical shock is an essentially harmless occupational hazard. When an electrical shock incident occurs, there is frequently a tendency to minimize the hazard or an attempt to quantify the shock as `minor'. While no two shock incidents are the same, we know that intensity, duration and path of the shock, combined with body composition and other considerations all play into the amount of damage that can occur as a result of an electrical contact. Still, the actual amount of harm is difficult to quantify because much of any resultant damage is internal and not always immediately evident or life altering. This case study discusses an incident where some of the actual harm suffered from an electrical shock was immediately apparent and life-altering and yet an effort was still made to minimize the potential severity of the shock.