Tokyo police said Wednesday they have turned over to prosecutors a case involving a 19-year-old worker who was electrocuted in November while engaged in renovation work on a building in Shinjuku Ward.
Investigators from the Shinjuku Police Station suspect an electrical firm executive, 53, who was in charge of the renovation work is guilty of professional negligence resulting in death.
According to investigative sources, the 19-year-old worker was cleaning up the first floor of the building in the Kabukicho entertainment district when the incident occurred Nov. 6.
The worker's metal earring reportedly came into contact with a transformer cable carrying a 6,600-volt current.
The worker, from Kawasaki, was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead, police said.
The cable's voltage should have stood at around 100 volts, and the foreman is suspected of failing to have the voltage lowered to an appropriate level.