The Automotive Blog

Further to our recent posts that highlight the need for companies to implement procedures such as brake testing and tyre pressure monitoring on a regular basis if they’re to avoid prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007. This week (Tuesday 23rd February) sees the start of the trial of a company director accused of unlawful killing through gross negligence.  Potentially seeing the first person to be convicted under the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007, which came into force in April 2008

The case is regarding geologist, Alexander Wright, of Cheltenham, who was killed in September 2008 when the sides of the excavated pit he was working in collapsed on top of him. Mr. Eaton the company director is the first person to be prosecuted under the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007. He is charged with gross negligence manslaughter under the new Act, and with an offence contrary to Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.  It is not only Mr. Eaton that faces these charges, his company, Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings, has also been charged with failing to discharge a duty contrary to Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

 If convicted the company director could face life imprisonment and a serious impact on his business with a maximum sentence for the firm being an unlimited fine.

These more stringent laws only emphasise how companies need to enforce and communicate their health and safety policies to their employees.  Any records that companies can keep of how they are proactively keeping their workforce safe can only be of benefit if they find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances.

aide automotive has a number of products that help companies to demonstrate they are keeping their workforce safe. Clcik the following links to find out more

• Brake Testers
• Tyre Pressure Monitors
• Other Health and Safety Products

Click aide automotive to find out more about our full range of products

Tyre Pressure Monitoring and Brake Testing are important considerations for any company that operates company vehicles especially now that new sentencing guidelines have been introduced. At the beginning of February the Sentencing Guideline Council published it’s recommended sentencing charges for corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences causing death. These are the first guidelines for sentencing organisations not individuals.  The council uses these guidelines to help courts make decisions on sentencing organisations that have caused death through a serious breach of care of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring and Brake Testing are two ways that organisations with a driving workforce can be vigilant in avoiding accidents at work. Even in the case of an incident some of these products can assist in demonstrating a company has done everything in it’s care to protect its driving workforce. 

New guidelines, which took effect from Monday (February 15), have set out the precise financial risk that organisations face if they have not done everything possible to minimise health and safety hazards with their vehicles.  Such as monitoring their tyre pressure or ensuring brakes are tested on a regular basis

Under these new guidelines, if a work-related road death leads to a prosecution for a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the fine will be ‘…seldom less than £100,000 and may be measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds or more’.

And if conviction of corporate manslaughter is proven, the fine imposed will be ‘…seldom less than £500,000 and may be measured in millions of pounds’.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring and Brake Testing are two ways that organisations with a driving workforce can be vigilant in avoiding accidents at work. Even in the case of an incident some of these products can assist in demonstrating a company has done everything in it’s care to protect its driving workforce.

Recent statistics published by Startrescue  suggest that the recent Big Freeze has affected the condition of the UK’s roads. These conditions in turn have caused an increase in call-outs for tyre and suspension related repairs to rise rapidly in the 2009-2010 winter season. This breakdown recovery service has reported a 13 per cent increase in December and January.

Startrescue.co.uk spokesperson Ricardo Sagnella comments:  “More and more motorists are telling us that their problems are largely due to the thousands of potholes that have appeared since the ice and grit has finally cleared.”

These figures highlight the importance of checking the tyre pressure of your vehicle on a regular basis.  Monitoring Tyre Pressure regularly is made simple by a small investment in a device such as PressurePro.  This tyre pressure monitor takes the guesswork out of determining the correct tyre pressure of your vehicle.

Click Tyre Pressure Monitor for more details

Or click aide automotive for a full list of all of our prodcuts on offer

Kuehne and Nagel Ltd who recently purchased the product said “The product showed an increase in MPG and any air loss in the tyre,  we had a slow puncture on one of the tyres and the product highlighted this which saved us a breakdown / callout. Overall the product does what it says on the label “AirAlert”.

Waitrose have also seen the benefits of this simple and effective device and have purchased 1,000 Air Alerts to use across it’s fleet of vehicles.

To find out more about Air Alert follow Tyre Pressure Monitoring and get all the facts and product information

As britain is going through The Big Freeze maintaining vehicles becomes more important  to ensure that everything is working correctly. Employers don’t need stranded vehicles in cold wintery conditions because of issues such as flat batteries. Similarly in winter weather it’s vital to ensure that their vehicles are in top condition, regularly checking the condition of brakes and tyres can prevent accidents in icy conditions. There are a numberof  products on the market that assist through the winter.

If a company driver is stranded because the battery will not start the vehicle or simply batteries need charging to avoid them not working Check out these links to help fix battery issues

• SOS Battery Booster restores Flat Batteries starting a battery from cold or dead.
• Midtronics Battery Tester confirms a vehicle’s battery efficiency.
• Battery Charging prolongs the life of a battery by keeping it fully charged at all times

To ensure your workforce are driving a safe vehicle in wintery conditions, tyres and brakes should be legal.

• Brake Testing with BrakeCheck the brake tester for commercial vehicles .
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring to ensure your tyres are the correct vehicle PSI

• For Brake Testing try BrakeCheck the Brake Testing device for commercial vehicles
• For flat batteries use SOS Battery Booster. This product can start heavy plant engines up to 1500HP which have been stationary for long periods, in extreme weather conditions and without batteries.
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring is simple to assess with PressurePro.

aide automotive would like to promote Roadtransports top 10 tips for commercial vehicle operators to avoid being stranded.

1. Use the Highways Agency and Met Office websites for primary reference and get regular feedback from any drivers already out in affected areas.

2. Transport managers should make alternative plans to get trucks moving, and if a truck is stranded keep customers informed of vehicle movements.

3. Make sure drivers are well armed with night-out stuff or at least have the basics: a torch, food and drink, and a mobile phone. A truck’s night-heater should ward off the cold but blankets are also important.

4. Get drivers to do a thorough check of their vehicle, checking all light bulbs, topping up washer fluid and de-icer/scraper and making sure tyres are properly inflated.

5. Truck drivers need to double their usual stopping distance from the vehicle in front; don’t be afraid to travel slower.

6. When you are trying to slow the truck down, employ the engine brake and/or retarder before the service brakes. This will slow the vehicle before applying the brakes. Most trucks will have ABS but that is no guarantee of stopping inside the usual stopping distance for a truck. Articulated truck drivers should avoid braking procedures on corners – a sure way to jack-knife.

7. Take your time. Keep to the main roads; they are more likely to have been gritted. On motorways and dual carriageways use the clearest lane and keep away from slush and ice.

8. Don’t use the cruise control – this is no time for efficient running. Keep the truck in high gear as it will slow the vehicle more quickly once you take your foot off the accelerator.

9. Concentrate. Avoid, if possible, poorly lit roads and shortcuts through country lanes. There is a greater risk of ice where the road changes elevation or is exposed to the elements, where it passes under a bridge, and where the sun is blocked out and the surface doesn’t melt.

10. Tune into the local radio station – its traffic updates will be more regular, comprehensive, and up to date compared with national radio.

aide automotive promote various products that could help with the tips above:

Air Alert is an excellent product to identify low tyre pressures.

Brake Light Check makes it easy for the driver to check his or hers lights.

Using BrakeCheck on a commercial vehicle inspection sheet will keep brakes working to the VOSA standard.

During the christmas holidays motorists can help avoid being stranded by the roadside in the freezing cold because of a breakdown or even worse a serious accident by monitoring their tyre pressure before they set off.  TyreSafe issued this advice with a warning: “Drivers who fail to make these checks and adjustments significantly increase their likelihood of experiencing a dangerous tyre blowout.” “During the holiday period too many motorists suffer misery from tyre related breakdowns because they haven’t made adequate checks before setting off,” explains Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “Very often the cars are heavily loaded with extra passengers, luggage and presents and then head off on long, high-speed, motorway journeys. It’s essential when carrying extra weight that tyre pressures are checked and adjusted in line with the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. Motorists who fail to make these adjustments are much more likely to spend some of their Christmas break stranded at the roadside because of a tyre failure”.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring is a crucial health and safety check for any vehicle but even more so in the winter months. PressurePro is a device that takes the guesswork out of monitoring your vehicles tyre pressure.  Click Tyre Pressure Monitoring for more details

Visit aideautomotive to find out more on our full product range

Tyre Pressure Monitoringis essential to ensure all vehicles are safe. By regulary checking a companys fleet of vehicles managers can ensure that they are considering the health and safety of their drivers. A great product that enables you to keep a constant eye on tyre pressure is PressurePro. This device removes the guesswork of determining the correct tyre pressure of your vehicles.

Click Tyre Pressure Monitoring for more information

Click aide automotive for our full portfolio of products

As Road Safety Week continues, companies should focus on keeping their workforce safe when out driving on company business. Tyre Pressure Monitoring is just one way to keep the workforce safe.  By ensuring all vehicles tyres are checked on a regular basis a business can ensure that drivers vehicles are safe and not in danger of a blow out. Also under inflated tyres make a vehicle work harder and less efficiently costing the business more money.

PressurePro is an ideal way to ensure a vehicle’s tyres are running on the correct pressure. This device has sensors that simply screw onto the tyre’s valves . The sensors constantly read the tyre pressure and transmit the pressure reading to a monitor inside the vehicle.  When a low or high-pressure condition is sensed, the monitor displays the tyre location with a flashing light and sounds an audible alarm.

 Click Tyre Pressure Monitoring for more information on the PressurePro