The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must have the appropriate safety mechanisms in place on their machinery in order to prevent accidents.

In July, an unnamed man working on the roads in Wiltshire was fatally injured while using a tarmac cutting machine. He had climbed down from the seat of the device, but became entangled in the rotating drum and was pulled in.

After he died from his injuries, HSE inspector Helena Tinton said that machinery such as this should have an automatic cut-off device so that workers cannot get caught.

"We urge those in the construction and utilities industries to check the safety devices on their top cutting machines and to prevent similar incidents occurring," she added.

Research carried out by Dr Stephen Roberts and reported in the Lancet shows that roadworkers have the 16th most hazardous occupation in the UK, with a higher rate of injuries than even the military.