Foundation Launches Challenge to Eliminate Workplace Electrocutions
A new $2 million prize aims to catalyze engineering breakthroughs that physically prevent fatal electrical contact on the job.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Mar 24, 2026
The McElhattan Foundation has launched ZERO 2050, a national grant program designed to eliminate workplace fatalities through a series of recurring innovation challenges. Each cycle of the program focuses on a specific cause of occupational death, seeking solutions that remove hazards entirely rather than simply managing risk.
The inaugural competition, titled the Zero Electrocution Challenge, offers up to $2 million in prize money for innovations that eliminate life-threatening tasks leading to fatal electrocutions. Two winners will receive $1 million each to scale their solutions.
Data shows that workplace electrocution remains a persistent threat in the United States. Between 2011 and 2023, an average of more than 150 workers died annually from electrical contact. The majority of these victims are maintenance workers, laborers, and tree trimmers performing routine duties.
Despite existing safety regulations and the use of personal protective equipment, fatality rates have not seen a significant decline in recent years. The foundation suggests that traditional safety methods are no longer enough and that new engineering solutions are required to make lethal exposure impossible.
The challenge is open to a variety of participants, including for-profit companies, nonprofits, educational institutions, and tribal governments. To be successful, proposals must be feasible, effective, and capable of being scaled across industries. The foundation indicated that winning designs must eliminate the hazard while maintaining or improving company productivity.
Registration for the Zero Electrocution Challenge is open through June 23, 2026. Interested parties can use an online readiness tool to confirm eligibility before applying.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is assistant editor of OHSOnline.com.