HALFORDS FINED £600,000 AFTER EMPLOYEE KILLED IN ROADSIDE REPAIR

Halfords has been fined £600,000 after employee Niall Fawcett died during a roadside repair at junction 7 of the M56, near Bowdon, Cheshire, on 2 August 2024. He suffered fatal head injuries when the vehicle he was repairing slipped from a hydraulic lifting tool and landed on him. A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that Halfords, based in Redditch, Worcestershire, had failed to properly assess the risks of replacing a blown-out tyre on a low-profile truck. A Halfords spokesperson called the death a "tragic incident" and said "the health and safety of our colleagues is our highest priority".

Fawcett worked for Halfords as a roadside tyre fitter and had joined the company less than four months before his death. The Health and Safety Executive found he had only recently obtained his licence to work on commercial tyres roadside and had not been monitored or supervised to ensure he worked safely. Investigators also found Halfords had failed to give employees suitable work instructions on when a vehicle should be recovered rather than repaired roadside. The £600,000 fine followed the regulator's conclusion that Halfords had failed to properly manage the risks faced by roadside tyre fitters.

Fawcett's mother, Sharon, said her son "had his whole life ahead of him" and had been planning to marry the following year. She said he and his partner, Megan, had been saving for a deposit on a home and planning a family. "Niall was building for a life he was excited for and this was taken from him in an instant," she said. The Health and Safety Executive's findings centred on Halfords' risk assessments and training for employees carrying out roadside repairs.