What to Do If You Get Electrocuted by an Outlet

Getting electrocuted by an outlet is more common than most people realize, and the difference between a bad scare and a hospital stay comes down to what you and the people around you do in the next sixty seconds. This guide covers what to do if you or someone near you takes a shock from a household outlet in Ontario, when to call 911, and how to make sure it never happens again.

Immediate steps if you or someone else is electrocuted by an outlet

If the person is still in contact with the electrical source, do not touch them. Cut power at the breaker first. Once the power is off, check for breathing and pulse, call 911, and be ready to start CPR. Even after the shock is over, an electrical injury can affect the heart hours later, so a doctor should evaluate every serious shock.

1. Do not touch the victim while they are still connected to live current. The current will pass through you too and often clamp both people to the source.
2. Kill power at the breaker or the main disconnect. If the panel is not close, unplugging the appliance from a safe angle works, but only if you can reach the cord and not the person.
3. If you must move the victim away from the source and power cannot be cut, use a dry, non-conductive object. A wooden broom handle, a plastic chair, or thick rubber gloves. Never metal, wet cloth, or bare hands.
4. Call 911. Any shock strong enough to knock a person back, cause loss of consciousness, or produce a visible burn is a 911 call.
5. Check for breathing and pulse. If either is absent, start CPR and continue until paramedics arrive.
6. Keep the person warm and still. Do not give them water or food, and do not let them stand up and walk it off.

Once the immediate danger is over, leave the breaker off, tape the handle down, and call an ESA-licensed electrician before that outlet is used again.

When you have to go to the hospital

Not every shock needs an ambulance, but Health Canada and the Canadian Red Cross both recommend medical evaluation after any household electrical shock strong enough to cause pain, muscle spasm, a visible burn, or any loss of awareness. Go to the ER or call 911 immediately if any of the following apply:

• The person lost consciousness for any period of time.
• There is a burn where the current entered or exited the body.
• Heartbeat feels irregular, or the person has chest pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
• Numbness, tingling, weakness, or difficulty moving a limb.
• Confusion, headache, or memory loss.
• Muscle pain that keeps worsening.
• The person is pregnant, has a pacemaker, or has a known heart condition.
• The person is a child, an elderly adult, or someone with a chronic illness.

Electrical current can cause a heart-rhythm disturbance called an arrhythmia that shows up hours after the initial shock. That is why the general rule for anything beyond a small static-level tingle is: see a doctor even if you feel fine now.

Why an ordinary outlet can shock you

Ontario household outlets sit at 120 volts, which is more than enough to injure a person under the right conditions. The common causes we see across the GTA are:

• Damaged appliance cords. Frayed insulation lets the hot conductor touch a hand or a metal frame.
• Wet hands or wet surfaces. Water lowers skin resistance and turns a mild tingle into a full shock. See why is my GFCI outlet tripping when it rains.
• Missing or defective ground. Two-prong outlets and ungrounded three-prong retrofits have no path for a fault current except through you.
• Reversed polarity at the outlet. A wiring mistake that leaves an appliance chassis energized even when it is switched off.
• A failed GFCI. A GFCI outlet that no longer trips when it should is common in older bathrooms and kitchens. Read why do GFCI outlets go bad.
• A shock from a light switch. Usually points to a ground fault or a loose neutral. See why do I get a shock when I touch a light switch.

The Ontario Electrical Safety Code requires GFCI protection in bathrooms, kitchens near sinks, outdoor outlets, and garages exactly for this reason. If your home was built before those rules applied and you have not retrofitted, that is a fifteen-minute upgrade worth every dollar.

How to prevent another shock

Prevention is not glamorous, but it is the only way to make sure it does not happen twice. In order of impact:

• Retrofit every wet-area outlet with a GFCI. That includes bathrooms, kitchens within 1.5 m of a sink, laundry rooms, outdoor receptacles, and garage outlets.
• Add AFCI protection to bedroom and living-area circuits. Combination AFCI/GFCI dual-function devices exist and are ideal for older homes.
• Replace two-prong ungrounded outlets or add proper GFCI protection where a ground upgrade is not feasible.
• Test every GFCI monthly using its built-in TEST button. A GFCI that does not trip on TEST is dead and needs replacement.
• Never use an appliance with a damaged cord. Cut and dispose of it.

The Electrical Safety Authority’s annual Ontario Electrical Safety Report tracks shock injuries and fatalities across the province, and year after year the same three factors dominate: no GFCI protection, damaged cords, and DIY work by unlicensed persons.

Expert tip from our ESA-licensed electricians

If you have taken a shock from an outlet more than once in the same room, the problem is almost never bad luck. In our experience across the GTA, repeat shocks in one room are usually a bootleg ground, a shared neutral gone bad, or an outlet that was wired backwards decades ago and no one caught it. A twenty-dollar outlet tester will tell you in three seconds whether the outlet is wired correctly, and if it is not, that circuit is due for professional attention. Do not just replace the outlet and hope. The fault is usually one box upstream.

Related reading from ezsmart.ca

• Why Do I Get a Shock When I Touch a Light Switch?
• How to Use an Outlet Tester to Check for Open Grounds
• Why Do GFCI Outlets Go Bad?
• What Is an AFCI/GFCI Dual-Function Receptacle?
• Are Outdoor Outlets Required to Be GFCI Protected?

Contact us

Been shocked by an outlet in your Toronto or GTA home and worried it will happen again? Call ezsmart at 416-838-9006 or visit our contact page. An ESA-licensed electrician will inspect that outlet and the wiring upstream, retrofit GFCI protection where it is missing, and give you a clean bill of health on the circuit.

Amir Azimipour

Electrician Since 2008 Journeyman Electrician Designated Master Electrician at EZSMART Corp