First Aid Tips for Electrical Shocks

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Most of the times when you hear the word, ‘first aid’, a first aid box (kit) comes to your mind and someone bandaging a victim and tending the wounds. However, in actual first aid means to simply help someone who got injured or is suffering due to some reason which can be burns, electrical shocks, simple injuries caused by falling off a bicycle and so on. These injuries might have different levels of complications but unless the trained help arrives, the nearby people try to give some sort of help to the victim which is understood and should be done because after all it is our moral duty to help other human beings.

However, the type of first aid that you should give to the victim depends upon the type of injurythe victim is suffering from and there can be different types and reasons. This article will guide you through general first aid tips for electrical shocks.

First of all, the overall danger of electrical shocks depends upon different factors such as how high the voltageis,type of the current, how current traveled through the victim’s body, overall health of the victim and how quickly the trained helped and treatment is given. If there’s just a minor sting of an electrical shock which many people experience in their life for many times then it is nothing to be worried about. However, anything more can be serious therefore you should call the paramedics right away and in the meanwhile try to comfort the victim. There are different steps youshould take which are mentioned below:

  • Don’t Touch the Victim – It is understood that the victim can be your loved one or may be someone you don’t know. In both the cases, it is important not to touch the victim right away. This is because there are chances that the person might be still in contact with source of current and it might pass through you as well.
  • Cut the source of electricity –If it is possible then you should cut the source of the current. If that is not easy or possible then you should quickly move either the victim or the source away by using some non-conducting object such as wood, plastic or cardboard.
  • Circulation –Once you have taken initial precautionary steps, you should then check for the signs of circulation such as breathing, movement or coughing. If you don’t see them, initiate a CPR right away and check if you see any of these signs.

That’s pretty much what you can do! In the meanwhile, the paramedics should get there and the victim should be taken to hospital for further treatment. Sometimes, you might not an intense shock but it is better to see a doctor to confirm if you have suffered any internal injuries or not even if you don’t see any symptoms whatsoever. Moreover, taking precautions is always better than getting treated for these electrical shocks. It’s better to stay away from high tension lines and power sources of current.

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