Electric shocks, burns and arc flash injuries happen at work on live equipment and near power lines, and sometimes in shops and public buildings with faulty wiring. This page explains the Irish safety rules on electricity and how a claim works.
An electrical accident claim is a personal injury claim for harm caused by electricity where someone failed to take proper care. The injury may be an electric shock, an electrical burn, or an arc flash, where current jumps across an air gap and releases heat and light in a burst. Most claims are accidents at work: equipment not switched off before work started, a faulty tool, or a machine that came near a power line or hit a buried cable.
Electricity can burn the skin where the current enters and leaves the body, and damage tissue deeper along its path. It can also upset the rhythm of the heart and injure nerves and muscles, so the medical evidence often comes from more than one consultant. See also burn injury claims.
Part 3 of the General Application Regulations 2007 applies to anyone who designs, installs, maintains, uses or controls an electrical installation at a place of work (Regulation 75). It requires:
If you are off work for more than 3 consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident, your employer must report it to the Health and Safety Authority within 10 working days. Most claims then go to the Injuries Resolution Board; read how the Injuries Resolution Board works.
Keep receipts, and note any symptoms that start later, such as numbness, weakness or pain in a limb the current passed through.
Contact us through our enquiry form, phone, or email. We’ll review your situation, answer your questions, and explain what to expect next. There’s no upfront fee to begin your claim.
Your case will be carefully reviewed by our legal team.
We assess the strength of your claim, advise on the documentation needed, and guide you through key steps such as attending an independent medical examination and preparing the information required for the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB).
Once you decide to move forward, we take care of everything. This includes gathering evidence, contacting the other party or their insurer, submitting your claim to the IRB, managing settlement discussions, and handling any court proceedings if needed.
Paul Kearney founded the practice and leads its personal injury work in Ireland. He is regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. Read Paul's profile.
We prepare your application to the Injuries Resolution Board, including the medical evidence, and advise you on any assessment before you decide whether to accept it.
You can meet us at any of our four offices, or deal with us by phone, email or video, wherever you live in Ireland.
There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we set out in writing how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. No Win No Fee explained.
Regulation 86 of the General Application Regulations 2007 requires the employer to take adequate precautions so that equipment made dead does not become live while work is done on or near it. Regulation 78 requires circuits to be identified at their source so they can be isolated safely. If the circuit was wrongly labelled, or someone switched it back on, the employer or the contractor in control of the installation may be responsible.
Only in narrow cases. Under Regulation 86, live work is allowed only where it is unreasonable for the equipment to be dead, it is reasonable for you to work on it live, and suitable precautions are taken, including protective equipment where needed. Regulation 88 also bars anyone from electrical work that needs technical knowledge unless they are competent or properly supervised.
Under Regulation 93, the person in control of the work must not let it go ahead near a live overhead line until the line is isolated or diverted, or, if neither is practicable, barriers and warnings are in place. The HSA-approved Code of Practice for Avoiding Danger from Overhead Electricity Lines (2019) sets exclusion zones that must never be breached, because current can arc across the air gap without any contact. It also tells those planning the work to consult the network operator.
Regulation 93 requires that before digging near a known or suspected cable, the supply is isolated where reasonably practicable, the cable's position is found as accurately as possible, and the ground around it is dug using a safe system of work. The HSA's Code of Practice for Avoiding Danger from Underground Services sets out the use of cable plans, cable locators and safe digging. Where these steps were skipped, the employer or contractor in charge of the dig may be liable.
Yes. Regulation 81 requires circuits supplying portable equipment between 125 and 1,000 volts to have a residual current device that trips at no more than 30 milliamps. Portable equipment used in conditions that cause wear must be checked by the user before use and inspected by a competent person from time to time. A damaged lead, a taped joint or a missing RCD is the kind of evidence that supports a claim.
You may be able to. Under section 3 of the Occupiers' Liability Act 1995, the occupier owes visitors a duty to take reasonable care that they are not hurt by a danger on the premises, such as exposed wiring or a broken socket. The contractor who did faulty work can also be liable. Restricted electrical works must be done by a Registered Electrical Contractor under the Safe Electric scheme, which the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) oversees, and doing them while unregistered is an offence.
The marks where current enters and leaves can be much smaller than the damage underneath. Electricity can also affect the heart's rhythm and the nerves, and some symptoms, such as numbness or weakness, become clear only later. A claim may need reports from a plastic surgeon, a cardiologist and a neurologist, and is not valued until the effects are known.
A death at work must be reported to the HSA or the Gardaí immediately. The family can bring one claim for all the dependants under Part IV of the Civil Liability Act 1961. Read about claims after a death at work.
2 years from the date of the accident, or from the date you knew about the injury if that is later, under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991. This matters where nerve or other symptoms appear after the shock. The letter of claim must still go out within one month, and time stops while the Injuries Resolution Board has the claim.
No. There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we give you clear written terms explaining how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. Read No Win No Fee explained.
Regulated by the Law Society of Ireland
Kearney Law handles only personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
We act for clients across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Letterkenny. See all the areas we cover.
Contact us to talk to a solicitor about your claim, or request a case review.
Email: [email protected]
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 8am – 8pm
Friday 9am – 5pm
