Archive

Archive for February, 2010

Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007- First case in court this week

February 26th, 2010 No comments

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

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

Van Mis fuelling Device

February 23rd, 2010 No comments
Following the release of the bayonet and threaded version of the Motor Industry Approved mis fuelling device Diesel Key.
aide automotive are proud to announce the new Euro Bayonet fitting Diesel Key.
This type is designed to fit to all European manufactured vans such as Vauxhall Movano & Vivaro, Renault Traffic & Citroen, Nissan, Peugeot mid size vans.
Attached is a picture of the Diesel Key fitted to a Vauxhall Movano.
Priced at 42.55 + VAT, Diesel Key has a dual operation of an anti mis fuelling device and anti siphon protection.
If you have any interest in this product please do not hesitate to call aide automotive on 0115 8456471 or contact aide automotive via the mis fuelling web site.

Petrol Theft

February 22nd, 2010 No comments

aide automotive already has a number of products that address fuel theft now we’re about to launch our first product that covers the theft of Petrol from Cars. As Petrol theft becomes an increasing problem car drivers are now a greater target for this crime, Locking Petrol Fuel Caps are the perfect deterrent for such fuel theft!

Fuel theft is not only just a costly problem but also the inconvenience of having a car off the road while you replace the fuel means lost hours at work or meetings. Keep an eye on the aide automotive website for when this product launches as it will give you the answer to petrol fuel theft

This product is for petrol cars only however follow this Diesel Fuel Theft link for protection against diesel fuel theft

Tyre Pressure Monitoring and Brake Testing good health and safety practices to avoid tough new sentencing penalties

February 19th, 2010 No comments

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.

12 volt Caravan Tester

February 16th, 2010 No comments
The CET (Caravan Electrical Tester) will cover all the functions on the 12N and 12S as well as the 13 Pin Euro Plug. With a connection to a battery it will apply power to all the functions during the test.
 
The lights are fused at 5 amp and the Charging / Live / Fridge are fused at 15 amp, all fuses are breakers which means no fuse to change.
 
An LED will stay illuminated to indicate the fuse has not tripped.
 
An AMP meter connected which will prove the draw of power for the Fridge and Battery Charging / Permanent Live, a toggle switch will turn switch power to test the lights (Old 12N functions) separately or the functions of the old 12S, this is to ensure that you can work on lights and not cause too many fault errors to caravans fitted with ATC.
 
The CET is well constructed for any workshop and is powered by connecting a battery via the supplied battery terminals.
 
The CET has been made following a request from a caravan dealer to test their caravans, it has been made for the trade and will suit mobile caravan service engineers.

Priced at 99.00 + VAT this tester is a must for any caravan repairer.
Conact aide automotive via the contact page for further info.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring vital in current road conditions

February 15th, 2010 No comments

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

Anti Fuel Theft Devices on Offer

February 12th, 2010 No comments

Fuel theft is an increasing problem for many businesses that have a fleet of vehicles. aide automotive have some excellent anti fuel theft devices that are easy to fit and can prevent the siphoning of fuel from commercial vehicles.

Some of these devices are currently on offer for a limited period only

Check out aide automotive for our full product portfolio

Fuel Theft’s Becoming Major Problem for Truck Drivers

February 8th, 2010 No comments
Police are concerned about the safety of truck drivers following the increasing problem of fuel thefts from lorries parked in lay-bys. They have been warning truck drivers travelling through Neath, Port Talbot in an attempt to overcome the issue of fuel theft. Over 150 litres of fuel was siphoned from a lorry parked along the A465 as the driver slept.

Lorry driver Steven Orchard, 34, from Carmarthenshire, was parked on the same road at Resolven when his vehicle was targeted overnight, “Some lorries can hold 800 or 900 litres of diesel. It’s easy money,” he said. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said truck drivers are popular targets for thieves and the Resolven incident was “not a rarity”. Don Armour, of the FTA, said: “Instances of fuel siphoning and general truck theft are all too common. Truck stop provision is pretty poor throughout the UK – there are basically none in mid Wales

The siphoning of fuel from trucks is a costly business in terms of stolen fuel, replacing that fuel and vehicle downtime. One way that companies can protect their vehicles against fuel theft is by a small investment in an anti fuel theft devices such as TP Anti-syph.

Click Anti-fuel theft for full product details

 

 

Brake Testing Software now Windows 7 compatible!

February 5th, 2010 No comments

CabCheckS is the PC software that enables BrakeChecks brake test results to be downloaded to a PC. This software is now compatible with Windows 7.

CabCheck software is a better option than a portable printer as it gives you the ability to download, store and print brake tests from your PC. CabCheckS gives the professional edge to Brake Testing, by the capacity to print onto a sheet of A4 quality paper compared to the portable hand held print outs. And another bonus is the BrakeCheck and a PC kit is cheaper than buying a BrakeCheck and printer.

Another benefit is the additional option of adding extra details to the print out for instance comments can be made on the ground condition, brake maintenance, weather and performance. Printing tests and saving to the PC hard drive is at the click of a button. Each printed test report can be  embedded with your company name.

aideautomotive have a number of automotive products to suit your needs

Brake Test Regulary to avoid fatal accidents

February 1st, 2010 No comments

A coroner ruled that a pensioner whose car burst into flames after being hit by a lorry was unlawfully killed.  The inquest was told the lorries brakes had not been maintained properly.

The 85-year-old’s car was struck on the side when the Lorry veered on to his side of the road and pushed his car on to the verge where it burst into flames.

The lorry driver had borrowed the vehicle from a friend in Chester who owned a commercial vehicle company.  He said he went over the brow of a hill and into a bend, but when he tried to brake there was no response. Mr Mason said he had done a quick visual check of the vehicle when he picked it up from Mr Currie’s garage the previous night and had not noticed any defects.  Worcestershire coroner asked Mr Currie how often the vehicle, used for business purposes, was serviced, as his operating licence stated it should be about every eight weeks.

Mr Currie said it had not been serviced since July 2008 and although he’d checked it himself, he’d not noticed the severely corroded brake pipe underneath the vehicle.

Mr Williams said Mr Currie had breached his duty to keep the vehicle in a roadworthy condition. He recorded a verdict that Mr Bird had been unlawfully killed.

Horrific stories like these only demonstrate how important it is to not only to check your brakes but also be able to demonstrate that you’ve been doing so on a regular basis.

Follow this Brake Tester link to find out more details on our Brake Tester BrakeCheck