New website promotes health and safety in motor vehicle repair

HSE press release E150:03 - 31 July 2003

A new website covering the motor vehicle repair (MVR) industries has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today.

Employers, the self-employed, employees, safety representatives and health professionals will find guidance on health and safety in activities such as motor vehicle maintenance and repair (including tyre, exhaust and windscreen replacement), body repair, refinishing and MOT testing, as well as roadside recovery and repair. Anyone who would like to access the site can do so at http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr

Visitors to the website can view information on the main causes of injury and ill health in MVR and the precautions to prevent them, read case studies, and gain access to guidance on many of the current issues. Valuable links to many other useful websites, including free publications about safe practices in MVR have been included.

The site also contains information on what the HSE and the industry advisory group, the MVR Health and Safety Forum, are doing to tackle the problems.

John Powell Head of Engineering in HSE's Manufacturing Sector and Chair of the MVR Health and Safety Forum said:

"I am pleased to launch HSE's new MVR webpages. Sadly, the motor vehicle repair industry has fatal and 'all injury' accident rates higher than the average for the whole of manufacturing and the spraying of 2-pack isocyanate paints is one of the biggest causes of occupational asthma in the UK.

"Over the last 5 years there have been over 30 fatal accidents to motor vehicle repair workers and on average about 2,000 injuries per year reported to the HSE and Local Authorities. The HSE and MVR Health and Safety Forum have been working together to publish best practices within the industry and the site will be a prime source of easy to understand and up-to-date information."

The website will be regularly updated.

Notes to editors

1. In 2001, it was estimated that the MVR industry in the UK employed over 170,000 people in about 44,000 businesses. The industry is dominated by small and medium-sized companies with over half the workforce employed in either zero-employee enterprises e.g. sole traders or partnerships, or businesses employing less than 10 people. Companies with less than 50 employees accounted for about 80% of the workforce.

2. The HSE's main contact with the industry is through the MVR Health and Safety Forum which was set up in June 1999 to co-ordinate the interests and activities of all those involved with health and safety in the industry. Membership includes representatives from a wide range of organisations associated with MVR, including trade and professional associations, equipment and services suppliers, insurance companies, educational bodies and the trade unions. The Local Authorities are also represented.

3. The Government and Health and Safety Commission (HSC) launched the 'Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Document' on 7 June 2000. The ten-point strategy, supported by a 44-point action plan, announced tough targets for reducing work-related deaths, ill-health and injury in Britain over the next 10 years.

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