An MOT testing centre has been fined £10,000 for health and safety failings, following an incident where a child was hit and crushed by a car.
On 4 May 2022, a 14-year-old boy and an adult were sitting, waiting for an MOT at New Auto Tech Limited in Finsbury Park, London. The boy was sat on a chair situated in front of the brake rollers, upon which a car was being manoeuvred.
As the MOT technician driving the car attempted to reverse, the vehicle instead lurched forwards, and off the brake rollers. The car crushed the boy against the wall, fracturing his pelvis in several places.
He was rushed to hospital for immediate treatment. Following the incident, the boy was bed-bound for three months and subsequently spent a year off school in recovery.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that New Auto Tech Limited failed to provide to members of the public with protection from the hazards of moving vehicles.
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HSE confirmed that the area in which boy was sat was a designated ‘viewing area’ – a painted box on the floor with a chair placed inside. This box had no protective barriers, and the business had no way of preventing customers from moving out of this area and into the path of moving vehicles.
At a hearing on 10 January 2025, New Auto Tech Limited of Alroy Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, accepting its failure to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of those not in its employment.
Westminster Magistrates Court fined the company £10,000 and ordered them to pay costs of £6,810.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Michelle Morphy commented on the case:
“This case sends a clear message to MOT Test Centres that HSE will hold them to account if they fail to protect both workers and members of the public.
“On this occasion, they failed to protect a child, by allowing them to move from their allotted viewing area into an operational area, which should have been restricted to workers only.
“As such the child was seriously injured in a totally avoidable incident.”
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