Company fined for insurance breach

A company that carries out maintenance and repair of motor vehicles has been fined for not having employers’ liability insurance.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard how the company were unable to produce a certificate of insurance during an inspection which was part of an initiative with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the discovery in January 2018, found that the company did not have employers’ liability insurance in place so were unable to produce a certificate. Employers’ liability insurance ensures employers have at least the minimum level of insurance to cover against claims brought by employees that are injured at work or become ill as a result of their work.

A E Motors Birmingham Ltd Florence Street, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4(2)(b) of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and have been fined £726 and ordered to pay costs of £557.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Karen Sweeney said: “Employers carrying out a business in the United Kingdom must have Employers’ liability insurance in place. There have been over 7,000 injuries and 33 fatalities during the past five years in motor vehicle repair shops. Should an incident have occurred at the premises the failure to have insurance would mean that employees may not get any compensation for any injuries or ill-health attributable to their work.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. Further information about Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf