What to Do if Someone Gets an Electric Shock

An electric shock happens when current passes through the body. The first thing to do is not to touch the person: if they are still in contact with the electrical source, you risk being electrocuted too¹. Look at the area before you do anything else, and only approach once the current is off or the person is clear of it¹.

Once they are away from the electricity, phone 999 for emergency help¹. An electric shock can burn tissue as the current passes through, so a small mark on the skin does not tell you how serious it is: go to A&E or seek urgent medical advice for an electrical burn². Do not move someone with an electrical injury unless they are in immediate danger and no longer in contact with the electricity¹.

This page sets out the order to work in: make the area safe, cut the power, break contact with dry insulating material if you must, call 999, and then watch for the hidden injury. It also covers the situations that catch households out, from a wet bathroom to cables brought down by a storm.

Look before you touch: make the area safe first

The instinct to grab someone who is being shocked is the most dangerous thing you can do. Official first aid guidance is blunt: do not touch the injured person, because if they are still in contact with the electrical source you will be at risk of electrocution yourself¹. Before any treatment, look at the area and work out what is live and what is not¹.

That check is the same discipline the Health and Safety Executive asks of anyone working near electricity: look for wires, cables or equipment near where you are going to work, and check for signs warning of danger⁵. At home the hidden risk is cable you cannot see, because electrical cables may run within walls, floors and ceilings, especially where someone is drilling⁵. The same principle applies in an emergency: assume a cable or appliance may be live until you have made it safe.

If there is more than one person present, the general rule for any emergency applies: check for injuries, help yourself before attempting to help others, follow the advice of the emergency services, and do not put yourself or others in danger⁶. A second casualty helps nobody.

Cut the power at the plug or the consumer unit

The cleanest way to break the contact is to switch the electricity off. If the shock is coming from an appliance, pull the plug out or switch the power off at the socket if it is safe to do so⁸. If the supply itself is the problem, switch off the electricity supply at the fusebox, which is also called the consumer unit, if it is safe to do so³.

Knowing where that unit is before you need it matters. It is usually a grey or white box with a row of switches, often near the front door, under the stairs or in a hallway cupboard. If your unit has a residual current device, look for a button marked Test or T: pressing it will switch off the power to the areas of the home it protects⁹. That button is a quick way to confirm the device works, and a quick way to kill the power in an emergency.

A few practical points:

• Keep the route clear. A consumer unit behind stored boxes is no use in a hurry.
• Know the main switch. It is normally the largest switch at one end of the row.
• Have a tool to hand. A wrench or pliers to turn off utilities belongs in a household emergency kit¹⁰.
• Switch off at the consumer unit only if it is safe to do so. Electrical Safety First gives that condition for turning off the electricity supply at the fusebox when a home has been flooded⁷.

If the shock has started a fire, the advice changes: pull the plug out or switch the power off if it is safe to do so, then get out, stay out and call 999⁸. Do not tackle a growing electrical fire.

Moving someone off a live source with dry insulating material

Sometimes you cannot reach the switch, or the person is gripping something you cannot unplug. In that case you may be able to move the casualty away from the source. Stand on some dry insulating material, such as a plastic mat or a wooden box, and use a broom handle or wooden pole to push the casualty's limb away from the source⁷.

The same approach is given for children: if you cannot turn off the power, push the child away from the source of the electricity with a wooden or plastic object, such as a broom handle¹¹. The principle is the same at any age: dry, non-conducting material between you and the current.

What you must not do is reach in with your hands, or use anything wet, metal or damp. And once the person is free, do not move them unless they are in immediate danger and no longer in contact with the electricity¹. Moving someone with an electrical injury can make things worse.

Call 999 once the person is away from the electricity

Once the person is clear of the current, phone 999 for emergency help¹. The St John Ambulance guidance gives the same number, and adds 112 as an alternative: call 999 or 112 for emergency help⁷. Both work in the UK.

While you wait, stay calm¹². Give the call handler the address, what happened, whether the person is breathing and whether there are burns. If the person is unconscious and not breathing normally, start CPR and send someone for a defibrillator; our guide to the primary survey and hands-only CPR sets out the steps.

A power cut can complicate the call. If you have a power cut and no back-up power to your landline, or only a corded phone, and you have a life-threatening emergency, attempt to call 999 or 112 using a mobile: emergency calls automatically roam onto all available networks, so you may get a signal from a nearby area that is not affected¹³. If you still cannot get through, and it is safe to do so, seek help directly from emergency responders or go to your nearest police station, fire station, ambulance station or hospital¹⁴.

If you spot damaged or dangerous electrical equipment, including during or after a power cut, report the problem, but call 999 in an emergency¹⁵.

Never touch the casualty with bare hands while the current may be live

This is the rule that saves rescuers. Do not touch the casualty if they are still in contact with the electrical source, as you are at risk of electrocution⁷. The same warning appears in official storm advice: never touch damaged electricity equipment⁴. And do not approach any damaged electricity equipment or broken power lines¹⁶.

Outdoors, the risk is often a cable you did not expect. High-voltage electric shocks are more likely in industry jobs, and can also happen if you come into contact with a power line¹. After a storm, be careful not to touch any electrical or telephone cables that have blown down or are still hanging, and report them to the emergency services or the utility supplier¹⁷. The same advice applies in Northern Ireland, where official warnings say not to approach damaged electricity equipment or broken power lines¹⁶.

The rule holds even when it feels wrong to wait. If you cannot make the source safe, keep everyone back, call 999 and tell the handler what you can see. The fire and rescue service can isolate a supply that you cannot.

Burns after a shock: the injury you cannot see

An electric shock can burn on the way in and on the way out, and the damage underneath can be worse than the mark on the skin. The official advice is clear: go to A&E or seek urgent medical advice for a chemical or electrical burn². Do not treat it at home with a plaster and hope.

While help comes, cool the burn. Our guide to burns and scalds covers how long to cool and how to cover, and the comparison of burn gel or cling film explains the covering options. Do not put butter or ice on a burn; the reasons are set out in can you put butter or ice on a burn.

Watch for signs that the person is going into shock, which can follow a serious injury: pale, clammy skin, fast breathing, confusion. Our page on shock explains the signs and what to do while help comes. If the person becomes unconscious and stops breathing normally, move to CPR.

When hospital is needed, and when it is not

Not every shock needs an ambulance, but the threshold for a check is lower than most people assume. Go to A&E or seek urgent medical advice for an electrical burn². Call 999 if the person is unconscious, has been badly burned, or is unwell.

If an ambulance is coming, stay calm and be ready to give the crew the information they need¹². Our checklist of information to have ready for the ambulance crew lists what helps.

Shock in a wet bathroom, and shocks from small appliances

Water is a very effective conductor of electricity, so handling an electric appliance with wet hands can cause a shock⁷. A bathroom combines water, wet skin and often bare feet, which is why it deserves particular care. Keep electrical items away from baths, showers and sinks, and never reach for a plugged-in appliance with wet hands.

Small appliances cause shocks in ordinary homes too. Low-voltage shocks can happen at home or at work¹. Before use, look for visible signs of damage such as frayed cords, exposed wires or discoloured patches¹⁸. If you have sight difficulties, check electrical leads by touch before plugging in or switching on, and avoid using anything that feels damaged¹⁹.

After a flood, the risk rises sharply. Switch off the electricity supply at the fusebox if it is safe to do so, and do not switch on any electrical appliances in the areas affected by the flood until they have been tested and assessed as safe by a registered electrician³. You will need to turn off any electricity until a qualified electrician or utility company has checked all switches, sockets and appliances, then use a circuit breaker with any electrical equipment used in or to clean and repair the property²⁰. Our guide to flooding covers the wider clean-up.