A hearing at Selkirk Sheriff Court was told that the person who discovered 53-year-old Douglas Armstrong's body is currently in New Zealand and will not be able to attend. Another witness is also unable to attend the inquiry which is due to start on Wednesday.

It was decided to part-hear the inquiry over two days next week and organise another date when the witnesses will be available.

The inquiry, which will be presided over by Sheriff Jamie Gilmour, could have major ramifications for lone workers in the countryside.

Douglas Armstrong, 53, was killed after his quad bike crashed on the Philiphaugh Estate near Selkirk in 2004.

It was 52 hours before he was reported missing and subsequently found dead.

The trustees of the Philiphaugh Estate were fined £3,000 at Selkirk Sheriff Court in March 2007, after admitting a health-and-safety breach in connection with the incident.

They pleaded guilty to failing to provide a means of communication or carrying out a risk assessment for a lone worker to report in at the end of a shift. It was the first time a trust had been prosecuted in Scotland under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The inquiry is expected to examine the issue of communication for lone workers and advise on how employers can keep in regular contact with staff working in the countryside.