Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE visited a waste and recycling site and found multiple health and safety failures, including skips stacked up to three high in areas accessed by workers and poor segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The case also involved a traffic plan that was not visible to people on site and was out of date. The employer pleaded guilty to offences and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

At an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site, with pedestrians forced to use a route that was also used by vehicles. The pedestrian entrance was secured and there were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. The employer also had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors further found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips and a stack height of three high in places. The skips were in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the likelihood of a collapse or falling material.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences for failing to fulfil duties to protect people on site from risk of death and serious personal injury. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE also served improvement notices requiring action within specified timescales. HSE noted the employer had previously faced enforcement, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure clear pedestrian and vehicle segregation on busy sites. Provide effective designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so people do not share unsafe pathways with reversing and moving vehicles.

Keep traffic management plans current and visible. If a site traffic plan exists, it must be visible to staff and visitors and reflect the actual layout and pedestrian movements after any changes to the site configuration.

Prevent unsafe stockpiling of heavy materials. Avoid stacking that creates instability, such as deformed skips or excessive stack heights, and address the likelihood of collapse or falling items.

Control access to risk areas. Do not place unstable loads or stockpiles in areas that workers regularly access, whether on foot or as part of vehicle movements.

Act early when enforcement shows the same duty failures. Where previous enforcement has identified problems with stockpiling and collapse risks, remedial actions must be completed and sustained rather than delayed or only partially addressed.

HSE Prosecution Link