AN apprentice electrician thought he was dead when he was set on fire during an accident while testing equipment at the new Police Scotland HQ, a court heard.

Joseph Hendry, 23, said he attached a cable while "under pressure" and “it flashed” - sending him across the room.

He described his t-shirt smouldering with flames when he realised what had happened, and was taken to hospital suffering from a number of burns.

The electrician was a second year apprentice with electrical contracting firm FES Ltd while working at the Riverside East building in Dalmarnock in September 2014.

His former employers are on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court for allegedly breaching health and safety rules by failing to isolate the electrical supply where he was working, or providing adequate instructions, training and supervision.

And, that as a result, while testing circuits Mr Hendry inserted a cable into live part causing an electrical explosion, to his severe injury.

Mr Hendry said his supervisor Daniel Cosgrove showed him how to test the circuits using a particular cable, the day before the incident.

But that on September 4, 2014 the cabinets he was working on were larger and different from the previous day.

The court heard there was perspex covering an area of the cabinet he was working on with a sign saying danger 400 volts.

He said he was given “no demonstration” and asked a passing tradesman for help when he couldn’t access the area he needed.

The witness said he was asked by Mr Cosgrove to get access but after a “thorough look”, couldn’t get the perspex off.

He said he radioed back and was told “find a way” so found another, smaller brown cable nearby, that would fit through holes in the plastic covering.

Miss Beattie asked if Mr Cosgrove reacted when he was told about this, the witness said: “He just told us to hurry up and get on with it.”

Mr Hendry said that when he attached the cable it flashed.

He said: “It made a loud noise, my t-shirt was on fire, I was blinded by the flash.”

He added: “I thought I was dead. I remember coming to, I don’t know if I was knocked out for any length of time or at all, I remember sitting up and trying to look and there was nothing.”

FES deny the charges and the trial before sheriff Neil Mackinnon continues.