Fines for repair firm and its director after man crushed at London garage

A garage has been fined £12,000 after a customer  was crushed by his own vehicle at a garage in North London.

Tottenham resident Mahmut Emanet is “lucky to be alive”, according to an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Mr Emanet spent six days in a critical care unit after he sustained serious crush injuries in the incident. He has been left with permanent and life changing injuries.

The 62-year-old had taken his company vehicle to be serviced at Silver Street Service Garage Limited on College Close, on 15 August 2022. The company director, Mr Seyit Dilek, left him standing under the vehicle while it was raised on a vehicle lift. As Mr Dilek walked away it fell off the lift and on to Mr Emanet.

While Mr Emanet was a member of the public who survived this incident, not everyone is so lucky. HSE has previously warned workers of the dangers of poorly supported vehicle.

In total, 24 workers in the motor vehicle repair industry have been killed in work-related accidents in the last five years, with the fatal injury rate in the motor vehicle repair industry around five times the average rate across all industries. Recent research suggests that over half of all fatal injuries in the sector were caused by work under a poorly supported vehicle.

Guidance dealing with health and safety in the motor industry is available.

The HSE investigation found that Silver Street Service Garage Limited failed to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to health and safety risks. The company also failed to ensure that the equipment had been thoroughly examined for any defects.

Company director Mr Dilek was in control of the garage at the time of the incident. He was directly responsible for the way work was conducted and access was managed on site. He failed to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Silver Street Service Garage Limited of College Close, London, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and guilty to a contravention of Regulation 9(3)(a)(ii) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £12,000 and was ordered to pay £2406 costs at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 7 December 2023.

At the same hearing, Mr Dilek of Waltham Abbey, London, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) by virtue of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined £500 and was ordered to pay £1500 costs

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Michelle Morphy said: “Mr Emanet is lucky to be alive.

“This incident could have been avoided if he had simply been asked to stay in the waiting area provided for members of the public.

“Instead, not only was he left to move freely around the two-post vehicle lift on which his vehicle was raised, he was asked by a director of the business to assist with the work being carried out, in the minutes before it fell.”

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.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Guidance dealing with health and safety in the motor industry is available.
5. Guidance on working safely under motor vehicles being repaired is available.