Mitie Engineering Services and three senior employees are on trial at Dundee Sheriff Court accused of contravening the Health and Safety at Work Act.

A court has heard how Michael Adamson, an electrician from Bo'ness, died when he was electrocuted in 2005 as he attempted to connect cables at JJB Sports fitness centre. The 26-year-old is said to have touched a cable marked "not in use".

The charges against managing director William Mitchell, operations director Scott Wallace and technical services manager Ian Storrar include failing to provide a safe system of working, training, supervision, risk assessment and resources, failing to test circuits and wires into a distribution board before they were made live and failing to ensure the board was not live while employees worked on circuits connected to it.


The senior employees deny the alleged offence was committed with their consent or connivance or was attributable to their neglect.

Electrician James Kelly told the court he and Mr Adamson had been pulling cables along a false ceiling at the fitness premises.

Mr Kelly had been holding the bottom of a ladder to support Mr Adamson when he saw his arm touch a wire, Mr Kelly shouted to him but thought loud music was playing as the speaker system was being tested and could not say if Mr Adamson had heard.

Mr Adamson was then electrocuted.

The court heard Mr Kelly say the cable being worked on was labelled "not in use" and that they would not have expected it to be live.

The trial is expected to last for three weeks.

(GK/JM)