Extra care required where pedestrians and vehicles combine

29 May 2006

The tragic death of a pre-schooler in a garage forecourt is a powerful reminder that vehicles and pedestrians should be separated as much as possible in workplaces.

Nelson woman Sue was collecting her car from Houston Motors after a morning in town with young sons Alex and Cody in February 2004. As she went to pay the bill, three-year old Cody was fatally injured when a 4WD vehicle hit him in the garage forecourt.

Department of Labour health and safety inspector Ron Burt was on the scene within minutes. Working with the Police team at the site he was able to quickly establish that a mechanic was driving the 4WD slowly out of the garage workshop when Cody ran out from the side and was run over.

The vehicle’s design was a factor in the death. The mechanic only saw a flash low down due to the sight lines from the vehicle being severely restricted, creating a danger area at the front corner of the vehicle. The blind spot extended 3m at the front.

Ron Burt’s investigation also showed that the garage layout, with the close proximity of the reception area to the workshops, was another significant factor in the fatality.

When Sue walked into the garage reception area she thought Cody was with her. While she was distracted paying the bill, the boy strayed into the workshop area. He suddenly darted back towards reception and ran right into the path of the car.

The Coroner found that Cody died as a result of sustaining multiple injuries from the accident. The mechanic, who had no chance to avoid the running boy, was cleared of any blame.

The Coroner endorsed a recommendation by the Department of Labour that Houston Motors moved the waiting room entrance so that customers were kept totally separate from vehicle movements in the yard.

Cody’s mother Sue sums up the speed of the accident: “It happened within a minute…the guy came running and saying ‘Call an ambulance, I’ve run over a kid’ and I saw it was my child.”

Ron Burt said the death was one of the most traumatic he had dealt with in his 20-year history as a health and safety inspector. It will feature on tonight’s episode of Special Investigators, on TV ONE at 8pm.

“Cody was full of beans after a morning out with his mum and brother, and this was a tragic end to his short life,” he said.

“The clear message to businesses like this is to carefully consider the layout to keep pedestrians and vehicles as separate as possible.

“If complete separation isn’t possible, then signs, judderbars and other measures may be needed to ensure vehicles travel slowly in areas where pedestrians may be present.

“Workplaces also need to be pay particular attention to visitors and those unfamiliar with the workplace layout, especially children, who can move quickly and unpredictably.”

Special Investigators follows inspectors for the Department of Labour, Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime New Zealand as they investigate workplace accidents and fatalities.

To the journalist: please note that health and safety services formerly referred to as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) should now be referred to as the Department of Labour.