Franklin, Wis. — MELTRIC joins the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) in recognizing the month of May as Electrical Safety Month. ESFI sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May to increase public awareness of the electrical hazards around us at work, home, school, and play.

Workplace Injuries — Fast Facts
Workplace electrical injuries happen in almost every sector of industry, from mining, construction, manufacturing, real estate and rental and leasing, to professional and business services, healthcare, educational services, leisure and hospitality.

  • According to ESFI, there were 136 fatalities and 2,210 injuries due to electrical exposure in the workplace in 2017
  • Contact with/exposure to electricity is the sixth most common cause of workplace fatalities
  • While there was an 11 percent drop in electrical fatalities between 2016 and 2017, the number of electrical injuries increased 35 percent
  • In 2017, 5 percent of electrical injuries were fatal
  • The most common electrical injuries were electrical shock and electrical burns
  • Men were three times as likely as women to be injured due to electrical exposure
  • Workers ages 25-34 had the highest number of injuries; that number was almost double of the next group of workers, ages 35-44

Prevention is Key
The keys to ultimately preventing electrical injuries and fatalities are adhering to electrical safety standards; training workers to understand the hazards and associated safe work practices; and providing equipment and processes that minimize potential exposure to arcing and live parts.

It’s time to focus on electrical injury prevention and to permanently eliminate those injuries from our workplaces. Understanding and adhering to OSHA Standards for electrical safety and abiding by and training to the NFPA 70E Standard will make a positive difference in the workplace electrical injuries occurrence rate.

MELTRIC has created an electrical safety resource page that includes links to electrical safety websites and resource information, including our safety brochure and white paper. Additionally, you can access our latest article on electrical safety in the workplace for non-electrical/non-qualified workers.

More Information
ESFI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety.

For more information about ESFI and electrical safety, visit www.esfi.org.

To learn about OSHA Standards for Electrical Safety, click here.

Visit the NFPA website for information about the NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.

About MELTRIC
The MELTRIC Corporation has a long history of electrical safety advocacy. The first-ever switch-rated plug and receptacle was created by MELTRIC founder, Gilles Marechal, in response to witnessing a tragic electrical accident caused by a pin and sleeve device.

Today, the MELTRIC name has become synonymous with safety, quality, and innovation. MELTRIC manufactures, sells, and supports a full line of durable, reliable, switch-rated plugs and receptacles engineered specifically for safety. Visit meltric.com to learn more.

Plug into Safety with MELTRIC.