Inquest into the death of Darryll Stuart Davis

38y · Male·electrocution from contact with live electrical wiring during repair of solar hot water service

Darryll Stuart Davis, a 38-year-old self-employed electrician, was electrocuted on 30 June 2006 while working on a solar hot water service in Ngukurr Community, NT. He was working live on exposed electrical wiring without adequate isolation procedures. The coroner found Davis was likely a safety-conscious worker who would normally turn off circuit breakers and tape the switchboard, but on this occasion failed to use adequate isolation methods, including not properly testing with his multimeter after work was resumed. The power to the circuit was somehow restored while he was working—likely by a household occupant—but the precise mechanism could not be determined. Key contributing factors included: poor labelling of dual hot water circuit breakers; inadequate isolation procedures (duct tape alone is insufficient); failure to re-test after breaks in work; and the practical challenges of safety procedures in non-English speaking communities. The coroner recommended mandatory padlock isolation of switchboards when non-English speaking persons are present.