Michael Ernest Kerslake · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 2 October 2024 I commenced an investigation into the death of Michael Ernest Kerslake. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 20 June 2025. The conclusion of the inquest was: Accidental Death.

Kenny & Murphy was the landlord company for Colley Lane Industrial Estate in Bridgwater where the accident occurred on 7 September 2023.

Mr Kerslake’s fatal injuries were sustained when he was tasked by a different company to strim vegetation at two specific sites on the estate.

Having completed those two sites, he proceeded (uninstructed) to strim the vegetation at the foot of an electricity pylon on the estate.

The machinery used was a petrol-driven brush cutter with a metal blade.

In the course of strimming, Mr Kerslake cut through an 11kV electricity cable which was attached in the usual way to one of the vertical wooden poles of the pylon. The blade of the machine cut through the cable guard and the cable itself, causing the electrical explosion in which Mr Kerslake was injured.

The jury found that the medical cause of death was:

1a Multi-organ Dysfunction Syndrome
1b 52% Total Body Surface Area Burns
1c Electrical Explosion

1. There was no risk assessment in place warning workers on the estate of the risks of using machinery in the vicinity of electrical equipment.
2. Kenny & Murphy no longer own the estate in question but they own other sites.
3. It remains the case that no risk assessment as described above is in place.