Kent-wide inspection campaign highlights safety concerns in motor vehicle repair premises
Almost half (49%) of motor vehicle repair premises visited across Kent have been told to make improvements to protect the health and safety of workers.
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Kent Fire and Rescue Service and local authorities have been looking at areas such as asbestos management, electrical safety, chemical use and equipment maintenance as part of the "Common Approach to Vehicle Enterprise" (CAVE) initiative.
Since the campaign began at the beginning of November, 172 premises have been inspected across the county and, so far, 84 notices have been issued for things such as unsafe electrics and vehicle lifts, and dangerous welding equipment.
In the final phase of the countywide safety campaign, inspectors have targeted premises in Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale.
In Dartford, 10 premises were visited and eight improvement notices were issued, while in Gravesham 22 premises were visited, resulting in eight improvement notices and eight prohibition notices.
Seventeen premises were visited in Medway, and five improvement notices and two prohibition notices were issued. Twelve improvement notices and two prohibition notices were also issued across 13 sites in Swale.
Mike Walters, HM Principal Inspector for the HSE in Kent, said:
"Many incident or deaths could be avoided in the motor vehicle repair trade, however, the statistics speak for themselves, which is why we have targeted these premises. Unfortunately, some sites had such poor health and safety standards that formal enforcement action had to be taken.
"We hope that through this campaign everyone we visited has become aware of the risks involved in the workplace. We would much prefer to be offering them advice but if workers are being put at significant risk of injury or ill health, we will not hesitate to take action."
Notes to Editors
A Prohibition Notice means that a work activity must stop immediately due to the risk of serious personal injury. An Improvement Notice requires safety standards to be improved within a given timeframe.
Further information on health & safety issues can be found on HSE's website at www.hse.gov.uk or by calling HSE's Infoline on 0845 345 0055.
Specific information and guidance on MVR health & safety issues can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/index.htm
There have been over 8000 injuries and 24 deaths in the motor vehicle repair (MVR) industry over the last 5 years.
Information and guidance on fire safety can be found on Kent Fire and Rescue Service's website www.kent.fire-uk.org/ and in the Fire & Resilience section of the website of the Department for Communities & Local Government www.communities.gov.uk/fire/
Search this site:
Please enter your keywords below:
Powered By FreeFind
This page is sponsored by Professional Health and Safety Consultants Ltd. Phone Internationally: +44 2087787838 or UK London 020 8778 7838 for all your health and safety requirements.