8:48 am, February 3, 2023
Mechanics are being warned of the life-threatening dangers of working under vehicles without proper equipment.
It follows figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showing that 13 workers were killed in the five years up to last March because the vehicle they were working under wasn’t properly supported.
Since April 2022, the HSE has been made aware of another four workers being crushed to death by an incorrectly supported vehicle.
Now leading voices in the vehicle repair sector have teamed up with the government agency to warn about the possible fatal consequences.
The HSE gave the tragic example of Leslie House, who was working outside his home in Dorset in May 2020 when he was crushed to death by the Land Rover Freelander he was underneath.
It had rolled off the wooden blocks he was using to prop it up.
The 61-year-old was a self-employed agricultural engineer repairing the car for a customer and was only months from retirement. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the emergency services.
Official and anecdotal reports of various working practices gone wrong are sparking fears that mechanics and enthusiasts are routinely putting their lives in danger.
Bridgnorth-based Classic Motor Cars, which has a team of experienced engineers and technicians plus a dedicated workshop for classic car restorations, is supporting the HSE’s call to the industry.
Production and engineering director Tim Griffin said: ‘I am saddened but not surprised to hear of these tragedies.
‘The situation could get worse as people and businesses may cut costs with higher energy bills. My plea is that it’s never a good time to cut corners – the stakes are too high.’
Fiona McGarry, an HSE inspector who works with the motor vehicle repair trade, said: ‘One death is too many. To us, these tragedies could easily have been avoided, but they keep happening.
‘Sadly, the phrase we hear too often is “This will only take me a minute”. It is crucial the correct equipment is used when working under vehicles.’
The annual death rate in the motor vehicle repair industry is 1.62 deaths per 100,000 workers – around four times the average rate across all industries.
In total, 21 workers in the motor vehicle repair industry have been killed in the past five years.
The HSE is Britain’s workplace regulator and is officially notified of work-related fatal and some non-fatal accidents across England, Scotland and Wales.
It said that as well as the 13 deaths, there were many more non-fatal injuries and near-misses because of working under poorly supported vehicles.
Julian Woods, CEO of the Garage Equipment Association, said: ‘We consider health and safety to be of the utmost importance to our industry and any loss of life should be considered an unacceptable situation.
‘We drive to improve health and safety not only for our members but in the industry as a whole.
‘It’s all too easy to think it will never happen to me or it will only take a second to sort so skip safety items to get the job done quickly, but these statistics are unacceptable.
‘We all need to be thinking of not only ourselves but everybody’s health and safety. If we see an unsafe act we should raise it up and not just turn a blind eye and keep walking.’
McGarry added: ‘We are becoming increasingly concerned about the scale of the issue. Failure to learn from near-misses or injuries will risk lives.
‘Some of these issues relate to smaller garages – places that are hard to reach. We have always had a strong relationship with the motor vehicle repair sector, and we respect the expertise of these small businesses.
‘But as the issue has persisted, we needed to raise awareness of the issue together.’
She said they were all encouraging everyone who works on vehicles at work or at home to check the HSE’s guidance.
‘There are simple control measures which can avoid tragic cases like that of Leslie House,’ she said.
Stock image used for illustrative purposes
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