Electrical injuries in Queensland: Patterns, circumstances, attitudes and opportunities for intervention

The Electrical Safety Office Queensland (ESO Qld) commissioned this research by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q) to investigate the nature and extent of electrical injuries in Queensland. The project also examined the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in relation to electrical safety of home-occupiers in Queensland, Australia. And, extending upon these aforementioned aspects, the project highlighted opportunities for intervention with focus particularly on public education and communication-based initiatives for enhancing public awareness of electrical safety.

Studies of the project included:

1. Analyses of linked ambulance, emergency department, hospitalisation, fatality, workplace incidents, workers compensation and electrical incident data for electrical injuries in Queensland;
2. A review of extant evidence regarding the nature and extent of electrical injuries in Australia;
3. A series of focus groups and brief surveys conducted with home occupiers in metropolitan and regional Queensland. The group discussions gained an in-depth understanding of Queensland home occupiers’ understanding of electrical-related risks and safety issues in their homes. The second part of the study validated and extended upon the findings from earlier phases of the project with a larger survey study of home occupiers across Queensland; and
4. The development, piloting, and evaluation of a range of electrical safety message concepts as informed by findings from the previous studies.