AN electrician was electrocuted doing a routine job at a Government office, an inquest heard.

Mark Walker, 32, of Croxdale, County Durham, suffered a fatal shock when he handled a thermostat that was still live at the Department of Work and Pensions in Milburngate House, Durham City, last May.

Colleagues working on the second-floor office tried to give him first aid, and resuscitation efforts continued at the city's university hospital.

Mr Walker was described by workmates as a safe, competent electrician who was qualified to lead teams of up to six people.

He and other employees of Daubnoy Services, part of the Mowlem Group, were working at the weekend.

The inquest heard that on the Saturday Mr Walker telephoned a colleague, John Brackley, who was not an electrican.

He asked Mr Brackley to remove the thermostat, which controlled the office heating, from a partition wall that was being pulled down.

The following morning he arrived to install the thermostat in a new position.

The thermostat had wires trailing from it, had its cover on and had been left on a table.

Health and Safety Executive principal inspector William McKay said the thermostat was connected to a power supply from a neighbouring office .

He said the fuse was still in place and there appeared to have been no effort to isolate the thermostat.

He said HSE guidance was to switch off power, isolate the appliance and then check that it was not live.

The inquest heard claims that some employees, including Mr Walker, had not been given in-house health and safety training - although electricians were assumed to know safety procedures from their professional training.

Company managing director Martin Daubnoy, who expressed condolences to Mr Walker's family, said Mr Walker was given an induction while working on a project in Lincoln.

He said that safety training had been boosted but added: "It seems there is possibly a need for induction for weekend workers. That's possibly something we could look at.''

The inquest, before a jury and North Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle, will resume today.