SRI LANKA REDUCES ELECTROCUTIONS BY 50 PERCENT IN 2018
Wed, 5 Jun 2019 |

Sri Lanka reduced electrocutions by 50 per cent to 89 electrocutions in 2018 compared with the electrocutions reported in 2012, the Electrocution Report 2018 by Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the regulator for electricity industry says.

Sri Lanka reported 180 electrocutions in the year 2012.

According to the international benchmark, the possibility of occurring electrocution, is only one (01) electrocution for one million people, per year. In 2012, Sri Lanka was at the position of nine (09) electrocutions for one million people which has now reduced to five (05) electrocutions for one million people per year by 2018.

PUCSL as the safety regulator of the industry has taken various measures to aware the public on the safe use of electricity and has introduced many regulatory tools including the framework for licensing of electricians in Sri Lanka, national standard for plugs and sockets in Sri Lanka, rules and regulations with regard to the minimum distance of power lines to the premises and etc. to create an electrical safety environment for public and premises.

The latest statistics show, males are more exposed to electrocutions as 83 per cent from total electrocutions reported in 2018 were males.

Southern province reports the highest electrocutions in 2018 while Sabaragamuwa province reported the lowest. Southern Province reported 67 electrocutions in the period of 2015-18 which stands the highest in the country compared to the electrocutions reported in other provinces in the same period.

Drawing power lines to illegally to protect cultivation or to kill wild animals has been identified as the main reasons for the highest number of electrocutions in the country while mistakes and carelessness during the activities near the power lines and improper or unsafe wiring (installation) and bad maintenance practices also have contributed largely to the electrocutions in 2018.

Ends.