Date of incident: June 2022
Notice of incident number: 2022166520005
Employer: Nursery

Incident summary
A worker was alone in a small maintenance shop on a large nursery property, working on a small microwave oven. The worker contacted high-voltage wires connected to a capacitor in the microwave. He was electrocuted and pronounced dead on scene.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Worker was performing task unrelated to his regular duties. For unknown reasons, the worker took the microwave from a pile of discarded items to his shop and began to work on it. Appliance repairs were not part of the worker’s prescribed duties.

Contributing factors

• Stored potential energy in microwave oven. The microwave was likely unplugged at the time of the incident and did not malfunction. However, it contained a capacitor that could store potential energy (electricity) after the microwave was disconnected from a power source. The worker touched high-voltage wires that were connected to the energized capacitor, causing the electrical charge to be transferred to the worker.

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