An independent workshop in Wales has been fined £16,000, along with £18,000 in costs by Mold Crown Court for “lack of proper supervision” after a mechanic was killed in an accident.
Warren Hayles died of his injuries on November 3, 2021 after a golf buggy he was servicing at the GNH Agri workshop fell on him after raising the vehicle up on a “stacker lift” similar to a forklift truck.
According to Wales Online, Prosecutor Joseph Hart told Mold Crown Court that the risk assessment for lifting up the golf buggy was “wholly insufficient and inevitable under such conditions”.
Judge Nicola Jones concluded that the buggy had been lifted “dangerously high, the risk assessment was inadequate, and supervision fell short even considering the Covid social distancing measures, which were still in place at the time”.
GNH Agri offered a public apology and the company’s “deep regret and sorrow” over the death of Mr Hayles.
Judge Jones noted that the business, which managed a fleet of 207 buggies for hire, suffered a turnover drop from £2 million to £1.3m after losing contracts following the accident. She also said the business has adhered to Cyngor Gwynedd’s directive to enhance safety standards.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last year urged motor repair workshops to ensure their processes and practices are fit for purpose after revealing data that 21 workers in the sector were been killed in incidents since 2017.
More than half of those deaths occurred while working under a vehicle, with the HSE highlighting this as a particular risk when a vehicle is incorrectly supported.
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 last five years – 13 of which were caused by work under a poorly supported vehicle.
