In an electrical shock incident, which action should be performed as the initial safety step?

• A. Move the person
• B. Call emergency services
• C. Shut off the power supply
• D. Check for burns

Answer: (C)

In an electrical shock incident, the primary concern is eliminating the live electrical hazard. The first action is to shut off the power at the source so the current stops flowing. This protects both you and the person from further harm and makes it safe to render aid. If you can do this safely from a distance or by flipping a switch or circuit breaker, do so. If you can’t reach the power safely, use a nonconductive object to separate the person from the source, never touching them while the power is live.

Once the power is off and the scene is safe, proceed to call emergency services and assess the person’s condition, starting CPR if needed, and address burns as a subsequent step. The key idea is that stopping the current takes priority because ongoing electricity can cause additional injury or death, and you don’t want to compound the danger while attempting to help.