Electric Shock Injury Claims
Check if you can claim compensation
If you suffered an electric shock or burn that was not your fault, you may be able to claim compensation. We handle electric shock injury claims across the UK and will explain your options clearly and help you understand the next steps.
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Can you make an electric shock injury claim?
If an electric shock injured you and somebody else was responsible for the electrics, you may be able to claim compensation from them. Electrical safety is governed by written regulations rather than general standards of care, which means a breach is usually provable from records the other side is obliged to keep.
Who you claim against depends on where the shock happened, and each has a different legal duty with a different piece of evidence behind it.
At work you claim against your employer under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and the evidence is the maintenance record. In rented housing you claim against your landlord, and the evidence is the electrical condition report they are required to hold. In a shop, gym or car park you claim against the occupier. If a tool, charger or appliance failed, you claim against the manufacturer or importer under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, where you do not have to prove anyone was careless.
You have three years from the date of the injury, or from the date you first knew the injury was connected to somebody’s failure, whichever is later.
Who is responsible for an electric shock injury?
Four routes, four duties, and in each case a document somebody else is obliged to hold.
At work
Regulation 4 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires that all systems shall at all times be of such construction as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger, and that systems shall be maintained so as to prevent that danger.
Regulation 16 goes further and bars anyone from work needing technical knowledge or experience to prevent danger unless they possess it, or are under a degree of supervision appropriate to the work. If you were sent to work on something you had not been trained for and nobody competent was supervising, regulation 16 is breached whether or not the equipment itself was faulty.
In rented housing
Regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 requires inspection and testing at intervals of no more than five years, a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, a copy to a new tenant before they move in, and production to the local authority within seven days of a written request.
Ask your landlord for the report before you do anything else. An absent or expired report is a documented breach rather than a dispute about what they knew.
Faulty products
Section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 makes the producer, the own-brander and the importer liable where damage is caused by a defect in a product, and it does not require you to prove negligence.
There is a separate ten year cut-off in section 11A(3) of the Limitation Act 1980, running from when the product was first supplied, so an old appliance can fall outside the claim even while your three years are still running.
Faulty wiring and installations
Exposed conductors, damaged cable, missing earthing, unsafe temporary supplies, and work certified by somebody without the competence regulation 16 requires.
In a faulty wiring accident claim the installation certificate, the inspection report and the maintenance log decide liability before anyone argues about the facts, which is why we request all three in writing at the start.
Electrocution claims and fatal electrical accidents
Electrocution means death caused by electric shock, and the claim after one is structured differently from an injury claim.
Two claims run together. One is brought on behalf of the estate under section 1 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 for the injury and financial losses before death, and section 11(5) of the Limitation Act 1980 gives that claim three years from the date of death or from the personal representative’s date of knowledge, whichever is later.
The second is brought under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 by those who were financially dependent on the person who died, and it covers the loss of their income and the services they provided. A bereavement award is payable in addition to a defined group of relatives, in a sum fixed by statute.
A spouse, partner, parent, child, sibling or personal representative is an “interested person” under section 47 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, and that status entitles you to the evidence the coroner gathers: the maintenance logs, the inspection reports and the employer’s account of what happened.
Contact the coroner’s office early and confirm you are recorded as one, because disclosure follows that list. The employer’s insurer will have a lawyer at the hearing, where evidence is given on oath and becomes what everyone works from afterwards.
What an electric shock can do to you
Describe what happened and what you have felt since, and the medical evidence will do the rest. Your solicitor instructs the expert, and what that expert finds is what the claim is built on.
Electrical burns
Surface damage frequently understates what the current did on the way through, which is why a burns specialist rather than a GP should assess it.
A burn covering more than 10% of the body’s total surface area, or causing significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs, is a specified injury your employer must report to the Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR. Ask whether that report was made, because it fixes the date and the facts in a document your employer wrote.
Effects on the heart
Where a shock crossed the chest, hospitals normally carry out cardiac monitoring before discharge. If you were sent home without any heart check after a mains shock, say so at your first appointment.
The absence of that record has to be dealt with by the medical expert rather than left unexplained, so tell us either way and we will request whatever was done on the day.
Nerve damage
Numbness, tingling, weakness and lasting pain are assessed by examination and nerve testing rather than by imaging, which is why this part of a claim is frequently valued too low on the first offer.
Report every symptom that has persisted, including the ones you have learned to work around. A symptom you have stopped mentioning is one the expert cannot record.
Muscle and skeletal injury
Many electric shock claims involve a second set of injuries from a fall or from being thrown clear. Those are claimed alongside the shock itself.
Describe the whole sequence rather than just the contact, including how far you fell and what you landed on, because that is what tells the expert which injuries to look for. If you were on a ladder or working at height, say so at the outset.
Psychological injury
Anxiety, disturbed sleep and fear of returning to the same work are assessed on psychological evidence in the same way as the physical injury.
Raise it at the first appointment so the right expert is instructed, because adding it later means a second report and a delay to everything else. Tell us if you have stopped driving, changed your shifts or avoided the place where it happened.
Common causes of electric shock injury claims
Each setting has a different document that decides it, and each one is easier to get hold of early.
Electric shock at work
Contact with live conductors, unsafe isolation, damaged tools, and machinery that was not maintained.
Ask your employer for the maintenance log and the training record for the task you were doing, because those two documents answer regulation 4 and regulation 16. Our accident at work claims page covers the wider process.
Electric shock in a rented home
Faulty wiring, unsafe sockets, and installations that were never inspected.
Request the electrical condition report from your landlord in writing, so that a refusal or a gap is on record. A text or an email is enough, and it is better evidence than a conversation at the door.
Electric shock in a public place
Shops, gyms, hotels, car parks, schools and leisure centres, where the occupier is responsible for the state of the premises.
Report it to the duty manager and ask for the incident to be written down before you leave. Ask for a copy, or photograph the entry, so the record does not depend on them sending it later.
Faulty appliances and products
Tools, chargers, heaters and electrical goods that were unsafe when supplied.
Keep the item, keep the packaging and the receipt if you have them, and do not let anyone take it away to be repaired or replaced. In a product claim the item is the evidence.
How much compensation for an electric shock injury?
No figure can be given before the medical evidence exists, and any site that gives you one is describing somebody else’s case.
An electric shock compensation claim has two halves. The injury is assessed against published brackets in the Judicial College Guidelines, which set separate ranges for burns and scarring, for orthopaedic injury and for psychiatric damage. Your financial losses are calculated separately from the injury and are not capped by any bracket.
For an electrician, electrical contractor or other tradesperson, the second half is usually the larger one, because the claim has to account for a change of trade rather than a period off work. If a hand injury or nerve damage means you can no longer work safely on live systems, that loss runs for the rest of your working life. Bring your payslips and your sick pay records to the first appointment and the difference becomes calculable rather than theoretical.
An electric shock rarely produces a single injury, so a claim is often valued against more than one part of the Guidelines at once: burns and scarring, orthopaedic injury from a fall, and psychiatric damage.
That is also why a single published figure is of so little use here. The Guidelines set ranges, not answers, and the range that applies to you depends on what the medical evidence finds across each of those injuries. Our claim checker takes a couple of minutes and carries no obligation.
What an electric shock claim can include
The injury itself is only one half of it. The other half is everything the injury has cost you, proved with documents rather than estimates.
Where the shock has ended the work you were trained for, the cost of retraining into different work belongs in the claim too. Tell us early if that is your situation, because it changes what evidence we gather and when.
Evidence that supports your claim
Clear evidence helps show how the shock happened and how it has affected you. You do not need to gather everything before you get in touch. We can help.
Get checked, even if it seemed minor. An electric shock can affect the heart or nerves in ways that are not obvious at first, so it is important to see a doctor and report what happened. This also creates a record of how and when it occurred.
No Win No Fee electric shock injury claims
You can start an electric shock injury claim without paying anything upfront. If your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay a fee for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If your claim succeeds, an agreed success fee is deducted from your compensation. That fee is capped by law at 25% of certain parts of the award, and it is the only thing you pay. Your solicitor will explain this clearly before you commit to anything.
You will see the full terms in writing before your claim begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before starting your claim.
Can I claim for an electric shock at work?
Often, yes. Employers must keep electrical systems and equipment safe and properly maintained. If a shock happened because of faulty wiring, unsafe machinery, or missing safety measures, you may be able to claim. A claim is made against your employer’s insurance, and you are protected by law from being dismissed for bringing one.
I am an electrician. Does that change my claim?
It changes what the claim is worth more than whether you have one. Being qualified does not make a shock your fault, and regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 cuts the other way: it is about whether the person doing the work had the competence and supervision the task required, which is a question for whoever sent you to do it. What differs is the financial half. If nerve damage or a hand injury means you can no longer work safely on live systems, the claim has to account for leaving the trade rather than for a few weeks off, and that is usually the larger part. Bring your payslips, your qualifications and your sick pay records to the first appointment.
How much compensation can I get for an electric shock injury?
It depends on how serious your injury is, how long it affects you, and the financial losses that follow, such as lost earnings and treatment costs. A minor shock and a serious burn or nerve injury are worth very different amounts, so there is no reliable average. Our team can give you a clearer idea once a medical report is in place.
What does a No Win No Fee electric shock claim cost?
Nothing upfront, and nothing at all if the claim does not succeed, subject to the terms of your agreement. If it does succeed, a success fee is taken from your compensation rather than billed to you, and it is capped by law at 25% of certain parts of the award. Insurance is normally arranged to cover the other side’s costs if the claim fails, and the cost of things like the medical report is explained to you in writing before anything starts. Ask about the money on the first call. It is a fair question and there is a plain answer to it.
Can I claim if I was shocked in a rented home?
Often, yes. Landlords are responsible for keeping the electrical installation in a rented home safe, and must have it inspected regularly. If unsafe wiring or a fault that should have been found caused your shock, you may be able to claim against the landlord’s insurance.
Can I claim if a faulty appliance or product caused the shock?
Yes. If a defective electrical product caused your injury, a claim can be made against the maker or supplier under consumer protection law. It helps to keep the item, its packaging, and any receipt. Our team can guide you through how this works.
What if my symptoms appeared later, or the shock seemed minor?
You may still be able to claim. Electric shocks can cause delayed effects, such as nerve pain, an irregular heartbeat, or anxiety, that appear in the days or weeks afterwards. A medical report will link these to the accident, so it is worth getting advice even if the shock seemed minor at the time.
Can I claim for psychological effects as well as physical injury?
Yes. Anxiety, panic, and other psychological effects after an electric shock can form part of a claim, alongside your physical injuries. The medical evidence will set out how the accident has affected you.
Check if you can make an electric shock injury claim
Tell us what happened and we will review your details and get back to you. We will explain your options in plain English, with no obligation to go ahead.
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Don't leave it too late to claim
Most electric shock injury claims must be started within three years. The sooner you begin, the easier it is to gather maintenance records, inspection reports, and other evidence while everything is still available.
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