8:27 am, May 13, 2025
A Vertu car dealership has been fined more than £200,000 after employees were left with a permanent condition as a result of working at the site’s bodyshop.
Two workers at Vertu Honda Truro were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) back in 2022 as a result of regularly using powerful hand tools.
At the time of the diagnosis, the site was owned by Rowes, before Vertu acquired the group’s four Honda dealerships in November 2023.
Experts say that the employees suffered ‘painful and disabling’ disorders of their nerves, blood supply, joints and muscles of the hands and arms, as a result of repeated exposure to vibrations.
Collectively known as HAVS, the conditions are lifelong and risk getting worse through the years.
One of the affected employees, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘It’s hard to say exactly how long I have had the symptoms for, but I think maybe about eight years.
‘My fingers would go white and I’d lose feeling. This was particularly bad in damp or cold weather.
‘I can say that over the years my symptoms seem to have got worse. The blanching has spread and I find it hard to pick up small items.’
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the dealership – at that point trading as Rowes Garage – did not put in place ‘adequate management arrangements to assess and monitor the exposure of its employees to vibration’.
There was also no suitable and sufficient risk assessment, control measures had not been implemented and the HSE found that employees were not informed of the risk via information, instruction or training.
Meanwhile, despite both employees reporting symptoms of ill health for a number of years, the company failed to take sufficient action to reduce their exposures.
The dealership, now under the control of Vertu, pleaded guilty to breaching The Health and Safety at Work Act and appeared at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (May 8).
The firm was fined an eye-watering £204,000 and ordered to pay £8,099 in additional costs.
Reacting to the sentence, HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said ‘Rowes Garage Ltd had been exposing employees to the risks arising from the use of vibrating tools for a significant period of time.
‘They fell below expected standards which has been reflected in the fine that has been imposed. HAVS is a serious and disabling permanent condition and HSE will not hesitate to take action against employers that fall below the expected standard.’
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro, and Paralegal Rebecca Forman.
A representative for Vertu told Car Dealer: ‘This case relates to events that occurred before we acquired the Rowes businesses.
‘We continue to take the health, safety, and wellbeing of all our colleagues extremely seriously.’
