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Halfords fined £600,000 after tyre fitter killed during roadside repair
Halfords Commercial Fleet Services Limited was fined £600,000 after admitting health and safety failings linked to the death of 21-year-old tyre fitter Niall Fawcett. He was fatally crushed while changing a blown-out tyre on a low-profile truck on an M56 slip road in August 2024.
An HSE investigation found the company had not properly assessed the risks of this type of roadside repair or given staff clear instructions on when to call for vehicle recovery. Fawcett had gained his roadside commercial tyre licence less than four months earlier, but was not adequately supervised. The company was also ordered to pay £24,203 in costs and a £200 victim surcharge; it said it had co-operated with the investigation and extended its sympathies to his family.
In short
- Halfords’ fleet services arm was fined £600,000 after a worker’s death.
- Niall Fawcett was 21 and died during a roadside tyre repair on the M56.
- HSE found shortcomings in risk assessment, instructions and supervision.
Explained simply
Roadside tyre fitters repair damaged tyres on commercial vehicles, sometimes beside live traffic. A low-profile truck sits close to the ground, which can make access to its wheels difficult and affect how the vehicle must be supported during a repair.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigates workplace risks and can bring prosecutions when safety duties are breached. Employers are responsible for assessing hazards, giving staff clear procedures and providing suitable supervision, especially when workers are new to a task.
The case concerns how those responsibilities apply when a commercial vehicle breaks down on a motorway slip road. It raises questions about when a roadside repair is safe to attempt and when a vehicle should instead be recovered.