Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE fined an employer in the waste and recycling sector after site conditions created a risk of skip collapse and inadequate separation between vehicles and pedestrians. The case highlights the need to manage pedestrian and vehicle routes safely, keep traffic plans current and visible, and ensure skip storage is stable and kept out of areas where people regularly work.

What Was The Incident?

HSE visited a waste and recycling site and observed vehicles operating freely around the yard, including tipper lorries and loading shovels. Pedestrian entry was secured with a chain and padlock, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There was no effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the yard layout had changed, including access routes to toilets. HSE also found skips stacked unsafely, including some deformed skips, stacked three high in places, and stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the risk of collapse or falling.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs. The enforcement followed improvement notices requiring action within a specified timescale, and HSE found the employer had previously been subject to prohibition notices in 2019 for related skip stockpiling and collapse risks.

Key Points To Consider

Prevent skip collapse by controlling storage conditions. Where skips are heavy and unstable, ensure stacking is safe, skips are not deformed, and storage locations do not increase the chance of collapse or falling onto people.

Provide effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. Do not rely on workers sharing vehicle routes. Use designated pedestrian routes and crossing points and implement safe arrangements especially where reversing or large vehicles operate.

Keep traffic management controls visible and current. A traffic plan is only useful if it is visible and reflects the current site configuration, including key pedestrian movements such as access to welfare facilities.

Locate hazards away from areas people regularly access. Do not stockpile skips in areas regularly used by workers on foot or by vehicles, because this sharply increases the likelihood that anyone affected by a collapse will be nearby.

Use previous enforcement as a trigger for sustained improvement. If enforcement action has already identified risks of stockpiling and collapse, treat this as a clear warning to review and improve controls rather than assuming compliance will be maintained.

HSE Prosecution Link