Garage fined £200k over vibrating tool injuries

A car dealership in Cornwall has been fined more than £200,000 after an investigation found its employees had been exposed to risks from vibrating tools.

Two workers at a Rowes Garage body shop in Truro were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) from tools such as random orbital sanders, Plymouth Magistrates' Court heard.

The court heard how the garage had not put in place adequate measures to assess and monitor exposure to vibration.

Rowes Garage Ltd, in Fifth Avenue Business Park, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said one employee had been suffering from symptoms for about eight years.

"My fingers would go white and I'd lose feeling," the employee said.

"This was particularly bad in damp or cold weather.

"I can say that over the years my symptoms seem to have got worse, the blanching has spread and I find it hard to pick up small items."

HSE inspector Emma O'Hara said employees had been exposed to risks from vibrating tools for "a significant period of time".

"They fell below expected standards, which has been reflected in the fine that has been imposed," she said.

"HAVS is a serious and disabling permanent condition and HSE will not hesitate to take action against employers that fall below the expected standard."

The company was fined £204,000, ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £8,099 in costs during a hearing on 8 May.

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