Harringay mechanics fined £10k after child crushed by car

The 14-year-old boy was sat in front of his family’s car at New Auto Tech Limited when the vehicle was driven forwards and crushed him against a wall

An MOT testing centre in Harringay has been fined £10,000 after a child sustained “life-changing injuries” from a vehicle at the garage three years ago.

The 14-year-old boy was with an adult, sitting down, waiting for an MOT to be conducted at New Auto Tech Limited on 4th May 2022.

The chair was situated in front of the brake rollers, however, as the MOT technician attempted to move the car in reverse, the vehicle was driven forwards off the brake rollers, crushing the child against the wall.

The boy required immediate hospital treatment, having sustained multiple pelvis fractures. They were off school for over a year and bed bound for three months following the incident.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that New Auto Tech Limited, based in Alroy Road, had failed to ensure that members of the public were in a safe area when vehicles were being moved.

The MOT centre had a designated ‘viewing area’ to the side of the brake roller bay. This was a painted box on the floor with a chair placed inside it. However, there were no protective barriers and the business failed to stop customers from moving out of this area into parts of the workshop where vehicles were moving.

New Auto Tech Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for its failure to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of those not in its employment. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,810 following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court last month.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Michelle Morphy said: “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.”

There are many known risks associated with the motor vehicle repair industry and detailed HSE guidance is available.

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