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People in Pennsylvania who work with electricity should keep an eye on safety while on the job. Treating serious electrical injuries, some of which can result in disability or death, may cost as much as $1 million.

While there are industry standards in place, one expert says that in many environments, these codes provide only minimal guidance to safety. Emergency response facilities and data centers can be particularly vulnerable to improper grounding, wiring and bonding systems. For these types of locations, going above and beyond the standards of the National Electrical Code may lead to greater safety.

Another issue is that the NEC deals with safety but not the reliability of systems, and some facilities cannot afford downtime. For systems that do have issues, some of the fixes might not be very complicated. They may simply involve a small amount of rewiring or adding branch circuits. These solutions can ultimately be cheaper than dealing with an unreliable system. Educating workers on proper safety measures is important as well.

Because electrical-related injuries can be so expensive and catastrophic, access to workers’ compensation is particularly important. Workers may want to speak to an attorney if they are uncertain about their rights. They may be misinformed by an employer regarding those rights, or their employer might even try to retaliate against them for claiming an injury. This intimidation could include demotion or firing the injured worker. Furthermore, the process of preparing paperwork for a workers’ compensation claim can be stressful and complex. An attorney may be able to assist a worker throughout the preparation process.