(Montreal) The CNESST concludes that it was a deficient working method in the control of electrical energy that caused the death of a worker for an irrigation company in Laval in June 2023.
The worker was electrocuted while installing a lawn irrigation system connected to a submersible pump in the Rivière des Prairies.
The report from the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) states that the man was found with the lower part of his legs in the water, face down. He was pronounced dead at the Sacré-Cœur Hospital, north of Montreal.
The worker had received training and worked as a companion, the report states.
The investigation found that the submersible pump had no mechanical or electrical problems.
However, an expert assessment carried out by an engineer as part of the investigation revealed that the insulating sheath of a conductor near the pump was cracked.
“The tests carried out on the pump demonstrated that this crack, when submerged, can expose the worker to electrical contact,” the CNESST concludes in the report.
“At the time of the accident, the pump was being installed. The worker’s lower legs, the pump, and the cracked conductor were in the river. During the installation of the pump, electrical contact was established between the worker and the live pump that he was operating,” the CNESST said.
“The worker is wearing sandals, a swimsuit and his skin is wet. These factors contribute to greatly reducing the resistance of his body and thus increasing the intensity of the electric current flowing through it,” the Commission adds.
To prevent a similar accident from occurring, the CNESST forwarded its conclusions to the Irrigation Québec association.