Cotswold Vehicle Recovery (Swindon) Limited was fined £28,000 plus £7,276 in costs by Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 29 October 2026, after pleading guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the UK Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company, based near Swindon, United Kingdom, was prosecuted after a worker became trapped under a reversing recovery truck at the site on 13 June 2025. The victim suffered serious injuries and, more than ten months later, was still unable to work.
What happened
On 13 June 2025, a worker was carrying out tasks at the site of Cotswold Vehicle Recovery (Swindon) Limited on the Blackworth Industrial Estate in Highworth, near Swindon, United Kingdom. He was struck and trapped by a reversing recovery truck belonging to the company. The accident left him with fractures to both legs and an arm, a punctured lung and a broken rib. He was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he spent five weeks in treatment and underwent multiple operations, including skin grafts. More than ten months after the accident, he was still unable to return to work. He needs a crutch, walker or wheelchair, depends on daily care, and is expected to remain permanently reliant on mobility aids. “This accident took away my freedom,” he said, according to HSE. He added that “my life will never be the same” and stressed that he “was only doing my job” at the time of the accident.
Findings
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Cotswold Vehicle Recovery (Swindon) Limited had no suitable traffic management system to allow pedestrians and vehicles to move safely across the site. Adequate precautions for reversing drivers were also lacking. HSE inspector Laura Artosi said the accident should not have happened if the company had put in place robust measures allowing pedestrians and vehicles to move safely across its site. Cotswold Vehicle Recovery (Swindon) Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their employees. Bristol Magistrates’ Court fined the company £28,000 on 29 October 2026, plus £7,276 in costs.
Recommendations
HSE advises companies with similar sites to introduce a one-way traffic system where possible, removing the need for vehicles to reverse. Where that is not feasible, the regulator recommends fitting the site with protective barriers, clear markings and designated pedestrian crossing points. HSE also advises equipping vehicles with reversing cameras and reversing alarms. HSE refers companies to its existing guidance on workplace vehicle safety, including HSG136.
Context
According to HSE inspector Artosi, almost 25 percent of fatal workplace transport accidents occur while a vehicle is reversing. A separate HSE press release from 23 October 2025 places this in a wider context: vehicle collisions account for 16 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in Great Britain, with an average of 21 deaths per year over the preceding five years. The agriculture, construction and transport/storage sectors are hardest hit. In that press release, HSE lists basic measures including segregated walkways with physical barriers, one-way systems, well-maintained reversing aids, daily vehicle checks and driver training.
Source: HSE press release: company fined after truck accident at Swindon site, 29 October 2026
Also reviewed: HSE press release on fatal workplace vehicle accidents, 23 October 2025
