MOT testing centre fined £10,000 after child suffers life-changing injuries

MOT testing centre New Auto Tech has been fined £10,000 after a 14-year-old boy was crushed by a car, resulting in life-changing injuries.

The incident occurred on 4 May 2022, when the teenager, accompanied by an adult, was waiting for an MOT to be conducted. The pair sat in a chair positioned in front of the brake rollers. As the MOT technician attempted to reverse a vehicle, the car was instead driven forward off the rollers, crushing the child against the wall.

The boy sustained multiple pelvis fractures and required immediate hospital treatment. His injuries left him bed-bound for three months and unable to attend school for over a year.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that New Auto Tech of Finsbury Park, North London, had failed to implement adequate safety protocols. Although the centre had a designated “viewing area” for customers - marked by a painted box on the floor with a chair - it lacked protective barriers. Furthermore, the business did not prevent customers from moving out of the designated area into operational zones where vehicles were in motion.

The company, located on Alroy Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which requires employers to ensure the health and safety of non-employees. In addition to the £10,000 fine, the court ordered the company to pay £6,810 in costs following the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 10 January.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Michelle Morphy stressed the importance of adhering to safety regulations: “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.”