Church Stretton builder on roof died after electric shock

Despite attempts to revive him by paramedics and accident and emergency staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Brian John Welch never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead barely 90 minutes after the accident at Red House Farm, Smethcott, Church Stretton.

An inquest at Shrewsbury heard that the owners of the barn, JR & MC Downes & Son, had not complied with safety instructions regarding the proximity of the 11,000-volt electricity cables that ran just 1.4m above the roof of the barn on which the two men were working.

Mr Welch, 46, from Cwm Head, Marshbrook, near Church Stretton, had been fitting ridge capping to the roof of the barn that he and his cousin, Simon Bloor, had been building.

Mr Bloor told the inquest at Shrewsbury Town Football Club that the pair had returned to work shortly after lunch on November 4, 2013, when Mr Welch disappeared from view to collect more roof covering and did not return.

Mr Bloor reserved his right not to answer questions about the working arrangements between the two men, his knowledge of the power cables and his risk assessments.

However John Downes of JR & MC Downes & Son said the group had used Mr Bloor and his company CFS Shrewsbury Ltd to carry out around £160,000 of building work since 2006, including another barn that also ran under power cables.

Mr Downes described Mr Bloor as a conscientious builder who had told him that safety on the project would not be a problem. He admitted he had neither drafted nor seen a risk assessment for the project. "I told him that the cables were there and asked if he could do it. He said I have done work before. I know what I'm doing. It will be fine," said Mr Downes.

He said the cables could have been switched off if Mr Bloor had so requested and admitted he had been unaware that the recommended clearance was three metres until after the accident. Mr Downes and his son, Tim, both admitted neither of them had seen safety notices provided by Western Power Distribution, who paid the farmers to run the cables over their land.

Included in the safety advice were provisos the farmers inform the company if carrying out any construction under the cables.

Both father and son admitted receiving and paying an invoice from Brian Welch dated before the incident but submitted afterwards, but said they had done so "as a compassionate act".

Professor Archie Malcolm, who carried out the initial autopsy, concluded that on balance Mr Welch's death was "consistent with electrocution" but added that it was not certain. Home office pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar said electrocution could be an option but added the victim had a particularly large heart, one third heavier than average, which could have presented a health problem, but would have also made him more vulnerable in the event of an electric shock.

The inquest continues.