Japanese trends in fatal accidents caused by electric shocks and the prevention of the accidents

Fatal accidents in Japan caused by electric shocks have been occurring since electricity was first introduced. Overall, the number of fatal accidents is decreasing. However, the decrease in the number of fatalities has slowed in recent years. A statistical study is needed to eliminate the accidents. In this paper, the trend of fatalities as a function of the accident type is studied statistically for Japan. The results show that the number of fatalities from high-voltage exposure become smaller than those from low-voltage exposure during the 30 years studied. The fatalities in the construction industry (electrical construction industry and construction industry) make up approximately 80% of the total fatalities. For the construction industry, the elimination of fatal accidents from shocks is an important subject. The results will be helpful in preventing fatal accidents from electric shocks not only in Japan, but also all over the world.