AutoSmart GuidebooksWhat this guidebook covers
Since the 2016 sentencing guidelines, UK courts set health and safety fines by company turnover and culpability, with no upper limit. HSE also charges a Fee for Intervention when it finds a breach, and individuals, including directors, face up to 2 years in prison.
This guidebook covers 6 safety standards with 18 checkpoints across service bays, MOT bay, body shop and tyre bay: lifts, pits, isocyanate paints, written risk assessments, tyre, grinder and air equipment, and RIDDOR reporting.
The 6 workshop safety standards
Open a standard to see the law behind it, what is checked, what it can cost and the evidence. Ideal fix times are counted from audit submission.
HSE-01Vehicle lifts examined and used safelyImmediate
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · LOLER 1998 reg.9 thorough examination (at least every 12 months, or as set by an examination scheme) · PUWER 1998
- What we check
- Every vehicle lift has a current thorough examination by a competent person (at least every 12 months, or more often if the examination scheme says so), defects are fixed, and only trained staff use it, locking arms and using the right lift points.
- What it can cost
- A lift collapse brings an unlimited fine, HSE's hourly charges, and possible prosecution of directors.
- Evidence
- LOLER reports + training log
HSE-02Inspection pits guarded24 hours
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 reg.13 falls · HSWA s.2
- What we check
- Inspection pits are covered, fenced or otherwise protected when not in use, edges are marked, and there's safe access in and out.
- What it can cost
- An open pit fall led to a £10,000 fine plus £10,000 costs for a small garage. For a larger group, the fine scales with turnover.
- Evidence
- Photos of pits
HSE-03Isocyanate paints controlled (COSHH)Immediate
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · COSHH 2002 regs 6, 7, 9, 11: assessment, control, LEV testing (every 14 months), health surveillance
- What we check
- Spraying isocyanate paints happens only in a booth with working extraction, sprayers wear air-fed breathing apparatus, the booth's extraction is tested every 14 months, and sprayers have regular health checks. Applies when: Body shops spraying isocyanate-containing paints.
- What it can cost
- Occupational asthma cases bring prosecution and civil claims that follow the business for years.
- Evidence
- LEV report + surveillance records
HSE-04Written risk assessments7 days
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reg.3 (record if 5+ employees) · HSWA s.2(3) policy
- What we check
- There's a written health and safety policy and risk assessments for workshop tasks (lifts, tyres, batteries, EVs, chemicals, manual handling), reviewed when things change.
- What it can cost
- Missing assessments turn any accident into an easy prosecution, and HSE charges £188 an hour while it deals with it.
- Evidence
- Policy + assessments
HSE-05Tyre, grinder and air equipment safe24 hours
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · PUWER 1998 regs 4–11: suitable, maintained, guarded work equipment · Pressure Systems Safety Regs 2000
- What we check
- Tyre changers and inflation cages, grinders and compressors are guarded, maintained and inspected. The compressor has a written scheme of examination.
- What it can cost
- Machinery injuries are among HSE's most prosecuted cases: unlimited fines.
- Evidence
- Photos + compressor certificate
HSE-06Accidents reported (RIDDOR)7 days
- The law
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 · RIDDOR 2013: reporting injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences
- What we check
- Specified injuries and dangerous occurrences (e.g. a lift failure) are reported to HSE without delay, over-7-day injuries within 15 days, and an accident book is kept.
- What it can cost
- Failing to report is itself prosecutable, and HSE investigates the original accident anyway.
- Evidence
- Accident book + receipts
How to run a UK workshop health and safety audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. List every bay (service, MOT, body shop, tyre) with its lifts, pits and equipment.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 18 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Check each lift's thorough examination date and arm locks, pit barriers, and spray booth controls.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: LOLER examination reports, COSHH assessments, risk assessments and the accident book.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from immediate to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Dealer principals
- Service and body shop managers
- Safety officers
- Auditors
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
