A coroner is writing to a company and the island’s water authority to express his concern after conducting an inquest into the death of a construction worker.

Four years after his death, an inquest into the death of a construction worker concluded this week.

Charles Gareth Sowden died at a site in Kirk Michael in May 2013.

Recording a verdict of accidental death on Charles Gareth Sowden, coroner John Needham said he would be writing to contractors Tuke and Bell and to the Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority to express his concerns about the incident.

’It seems to be an unsafe practice for these top-heavy structures that are unstable to be left unsupported so I am concerned about that and will be writing to make sure that the procedure does not happen any more,’ he said.

Mr Sowden, of Castlemona Avenue in Douglas, was working on the new sewage treatment plant at Balleira Road when the accident happened on May 1, 2013.

An inquest was opened shortly after the accident but adjourned pending the outcome of other legal proceedings.

In July 2016, Tuke and Bell Ltd was fined £24,000 with £6,000 costs after admitting a health and safety breach in connection with the incident, described by Deemster Birkett as a ’tragic accident’.

Once legal proceedings had ended there the inquest could be resumed.

The inquest heard Mr Sowden was part of a team building a large structure in the Balleira car park.

Once complete, the structure, weighing two tons, was to be moved into position in a coffer dam (a dry area below the water line of a reservoir) a short distance away.

Hydraulic lifting machinery was used to raise the assembly before moving it into position.

But the court was told the construction, which was top-heavy and more than eight metres tall when upright, was left unsupported.

Mr Needham heard the car park sloped slightly towards the sea and there was an increasing off-shore wind. No-one had expressed concern about leaving the structure in an upright position and Mr Sowden had been asked to stay out of that area.

There was no evidence of the mechanical lifting equipment touching the assembly but suddenly and without warning, it toppled over, the court heard.

One witness told the hearing he saw Mr Sowden holding a drill and placing a chair against the back of the structure and almost immediately it toppled as Mr Sowden tried to run from beneath it.

’None of the witnesses was expecting Mr Sowden to be in that area,’ Mr Needham said.

Despite the best efforts of first aiders on site and ambulance paramedics, Mr Sowden, who was 55, died at the scene.

A post mortem examnination by Dr Christopher Clague found he suffered multiple injuries, including broken ribs and a skull fracture.

Mr Needham told the court: ’He was an experienced fitter and clearly chose to work on the unsupported structure. He had wanted to get away early that day and wanted to save time. The toppling was a consequence of an unforeseen occurrence, therefore the verdict is accidental death.’

Offering condolences to Mr Sowden’s family, he said death would have been immediate and he would not have suffered.