NEWS
New research shows a concerning scale of electrical incidents experienced by UK electricians
New industry research from test equipment specialists Martindale Electric has revealed that 86% of electrical professionals have experienced an ‘electrical incident’ at work and it’s just part of a wider picture of many electrical incidents and near misses among UK electrical professionals.
Martindale Electric has published new research showing the true scale of electrical incidents experienced by professionals working with electricity every day. An ‘electrical incident’ or ‘near miss’ includes minor electric shocks, arc events and unexpected energisation.
The findings, based on a survey sent to tens of thousands of electrical contracting
professionals, were gathered to better understand real-world experiences of electrical safety, electrical incidents and incident reporting across the industry.
Among the key findings, Martindale Electric found: • 86% of electrical professionals have personally experienced at least one electrical incident while working
• A massive 78% of those who responded have had a ‘near miss’ • 64% have witnessed an electrical incident involving another electrician on the job • Over half of electrical professionals stated that the most recent incident or near miss they experienced or witnessed was not reported formally.
• 86% of electrical professionals say they are very familiar with Safe Isolation Procedures but only 55% always follow it in full before starting work
• If the Safe Isolation Procedure has not been followed fully before starting work, the most common reason given was ‘confidence the circuit was dead’ (46%), followed by ‘Time pressure’ (25%).
This gap between knowing the procedure and following it every time is where accidents happen. Martindale Electric developed ALIVE, a memorable five-step framework designed to make safe isolation second nature for anyone working on or near electrical systems:
A is for approved kit (equipment must meet legal safety standards) L is for lockout ( point of isolation should be identified, locked out and tagged) I is for initial prove (voltage indicator should be tested against a proving unit) V is for voltage test (electricians must confirm there is no dangerous voltage in the circuit) E is for ensure (the voltage indicator must be re-tested against the proving unit before starting work)
“These figures show that electrical incidents and near misses are still far too common on site and that too many go unreported,” says Steve Dunning, Managing Director of Martindale Electric.
“It is positive to see that almost every respondent to our research recognises the Safe Isolation Procedure, but recognising it and following it fully every single time are clearly two different things. We really want to encourage everyone working around electricity to maintain their awareness of electrical safety procedures and use the resources available to keep their knowledge up to date on the latest safety practices and guidance. “Our ALIVE acronym is a simple, five-step routine that takes the guesswork out of staying safe and we’d encourage every electrical professional to make following it second nature, every single time.”
The Martindale Electrical Safety in the Workplace Survey 2026 was conducted between June and July 2026 to gather original insight from professionals who work with or around electricity. More than 100,000 electrical professionals were invited to participate in the survey.
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24/8/26 09:00 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2026 5
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