Worker in critical condition after electrocution in Lévis

A worker in his 40s is in critical condition after being electrocuted Thursday morning while doing electrical work inside an Ameublement Tanguay furniture store in Lévis, Que., police said.

The Service de police de la Ville de Lévis said the incident happened around 11 a.m. at the store on boulevard Alphonse-Desjardins. Police spokesperson Véronique Blouin said the man was taken to hospital and his condition was considered critical, according to Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil. Local outlet Ma Beauce reported that there were fears for his life. The Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), Quebec’s workplace health and safety regulator, has been notified.

Updated Oct. 17, 2026. This story is developing.

CNESST spokesperson Isabelle Gosselin told Le Soleil that inspectors were on their way to the site to gather information. Police set up a security perimeter so investigators could determine what happened.

Le Soleil reported the man was working in the ceiling of the store when he received a significant electric shock. Ma Beauce reported that witnesses called emergency services after he collapsed in the showroom.

Neither outlet named the man or his employer, and neither reported a statement from Ameublement Tanguay or from the company that employed him. Police and the CNESST have not said what caused the shock.

The Tanguay store was closed after the incident. The parking lot remained open to customers of other businesses in the same commercial complex, the outlets reported.

In Quebec, the CNESST investigates serious workplace injuries and deaths and can order work stopped on a site if it finds a danger to workers. Its inspectors normally examine the equipment, the work methods in use and whether safety procedures, such as locking out power before electrical work, were followed. The commission publishes its findings once an investigation is complete, which can take months.

The incident drew heavy attention in Quebec on Thursday and Friday, and the name of the city was among the most searched terms in Canada on Google on Friday.

Further details on the man’s condition and the circumstances of the accident had not been released as of Saturday.

Via Le Soleil and Ma Beauce. Original reports: Le Soleil and Ma Beauce.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.