Motor Trade Sector – Useful Health &
Safety Information
Why Health & Safety Is Important To This Sector
There have been over 8000 injuries and 24 deaths in the Motor
Vehicle Repair Industry over the last 5 years. Most of these
accidents involve slips, trips and falls or occur during lifting or
handling, often causing serious injuries. Crushing incidents
involving the movement or collapse of vehicles under repair often
result in serious injuries and even death. Many of these incidents
could have been avoided with the application of some relatively
simple control measures.
Situation Where You Might Need Health
&Safety Support
Health and Safety is about sensible, proportionate actions that
protect people, not unnecessary bureaucracy. It is common within
the Motor Vehicle Repair industry for there to be a large
proportion of young people working, such as apprentices. Young
people rarely have the risk perception of more mature people so you
should give greater consideration to any potential hazards. As well
as to your own employees, you also have duties towards contractors,
customers and members of the public who visit your premises and
even others who may be affected by your business such as neighbours
and other workpeople.
Actions You May Need To Take
- Ensure you hold Employers Liability Insurance and display the
certificate in a public area
- Make sure you have someone competent to help you meet your
health and safety duties
- Decide how you're going to manage health and safety within your
business
- Decide what could harm people and what precautions you need to
take,
- Provide health and safety training to your workers making sure
that the younger people within your business understand the risks
they face.
- Display the health and safety law poster
- Report certain work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous
occurrences
RBS
Mentor can help you
with all of these aspects – be it through auditing your current
documents, liaising with and supporting your appointed Competent
Person, providing 24/7 advice or providing training.
Result Of Doing/Not Doing Something
Health and safety laws will be enforced by inspectors from HSE
or an enforcement officer from your local council. Inspectors and
enforcement officers are legally empowered to
- Visit workplaces without notice
- nvestigate accidents or complaints and inspect safety, health
and welfare aspects of your business
- Talk to employees and safety representatives, take photographs
and samples
- Receive co-operation and answers to questions
If there is a problem, they may issue a formal notice requiring
improvements or, where serious danger exists, a notice that
prohibits the use of a process or equipment. For the most serious
breaches of health and safety law, they may prosecute a firm or an
individual (or report to the Procurator Fiscal with a view to
prosecution in Scotland).
RBS
Mentor can support
you in ensuring you workplace is safe and complies with
legislation. By helping you instil a safety culture through
providing the correct documentation and working with your staff to
get them confident about Risk Assessments, as well as supporting
you with a 24/7 advice line, you can be confident you are in the
best position to keep your workers safe.