A COMPANY is celebrating a record 166 days without anyone having time off due to industrial accidents, by rewarding the next generation.

Imperial Home Decor Group (IHDG), in Belgrave Road, Darwen, has donated £75 each to the town's Ashleigh Primary School and Sudell County Primary.

The wallpaper manufacturer used to reward its 600-strong workforce, but has decided to boost the schools as many of its employees' children attend them.

Pupils will visit the site on Thursday for a special guided tour of the company.

IHDG's previous record for days without any industrial accidents, including cases like minor back strains and more serious incidents, was 150 days.

Bosses decided to cut back on incidents by bringing together a group of staff from management to workers.

They analysed any incidents and introduced new practices to ensure they were not repeated.

Paul Fleck, health and safety advisor for IHDG, said: "It's quite an achievement.

"We have highlighted and dealt with problems. We used to reward staff, but we thought they are paid to work safely, so we came up with the idea of making a donation to schools.

"A lot of our children go to local primary schools so we thought we would help them and be rewarding our employees in the process."