Mechanisms of pediatric electrical injury. New implications for product safety and injury prevention
J. T. Rabban, J. A. Blair, C. L. Rosen, J. N. Adler and R. L. Sheridan
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., USA.
OBJECTIVES: To determine age-specific mechanisms of electrical injury in
children, to examine product safety regulation of the major sources of
electrical injury hazard, and to assess the adequacy of current prevention
strategies. DESIGN: Case series of 144 pediatric and adolescent electrical
injuries in patients seen in the specialized burn center and tertiary care
hospital between 1970 and 1995, examination of Consumer Product Safety
Commission product recall reports for electrical injury hazards between
1973 and 1995, and review of the National Electric Code. RESULTS:
Eighty-six cases of electrical injuries resulted from low-voltage (<
1000-V) exposures, all occurring within the home. In children aged 12 years
and younger, household appliance electrical cords and extension cords
caused more than 64 (63%) of 102 injuries, whereas wall outlets were
responsible for only 14 (15%) of injuries. Fifty-eight cases resulted from
high-voltage exposures, accounting for 38 (90%) of 42 injuries in children
older than 12 years. No federal safety regulations for electrical cords
exist, although voluntary standards have been adopted by many
manufacturers. Among 383 consumer products identified by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission to be electrical injury hazards, 119 were
appliance cords, extension cords, or holiday stringed light sets. Several
products numbered more than 1.5 million units in US household distribution
prior to the investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
CONCLUSIONS: Household electrical cords are the major electrocution hazard
for children younger than 12 years, yet no federal safety mandates exist.
Despite voluntary standards, noncompliant manufacturers can introduce vast
numbers of unsafe cords onto the US household market every year. Conversion
of existing voluntary safety guidelines into federally legislated standards
may be the most effective intervention against pediatric electrocutions.
