dang bar code locks

At the new campus, our office doors open with a bar code scanner. The repairmen just came to look at mine for some reason, and when I returned I could no longer open my office. Nor could anyone in my Department open theirs.

Our secretary was able to open my office, but received an electrical shock in the process. That’s a bit weird, because these locks are just battery-powered. How strong can the batteries really be?