• NFPA 99 requires special protection against electrical shock in facilities designated as “wet procedure locations.”
• Wet procedure designations are based upon risk assessments that consider types of procedures conducted, electrical equipment deployed and liquid-mitigation protocols.

During a routine arthroscopic shoulder repair, an operating table’s electrical panel short circuited, causing the table to suddenly decline. The surgical team swiftly moved the anaesthetized patient to a transport trolley before concluding the procedure, avoiding a potentially catastrophic outcome.

All this happened while intravenous fluid was leaking onto the floor. Despite mopping and suctioning, the surgical team stood over a wet film of water — a truly hazardous situation.

Electrical accidents within operating rooms are rare. Still, this incident — documented recently in the Journal of Anesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology — demonstrates why electrical precautions must remain ever-present concerns.