''Better health and safety for contractors needed'', HSE warns

A contractor has narrowly escaped injury after falling through a roof.

Those employing contractors must ensure that their health and safety measures extend to those doing temporary work, it has been said.

The calls came from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an accident at the factory of Burnley-based engineering firm Lupton and Place, which saw a 67-year-old agency worker fall from a height.

Reedley Magistrates' Court heard that the worker was fixing a leak in the roof when he slipped, falling through one of the roof panels.

Fortunately, he escaped injury after he landed on a machine cover, but the incident could have been much worse.

Matt Lea, investigating inspector at the HSE, said: "The contractor had been employed by the firm for more than 30 years, but nothing was done to monitor or control the work he was doing."

IT umbrella companies and other businesses were also recently told by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health that they need to do all they can to lower the number of workplace accidents they face.