Waste Company Fined for Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Traffic Control

Brief Summary

The Health and Safety Executive found multiple failures at a waste and recycling site, including inadequate segregation of pedestrians from vehicles and skips stacked in a way that increased the risk of collapse or falling. The employer had previously faced enforcement action for similar risks, but further improvement notices were needed to drive corrective action.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors found tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site while pedestrian access was chained and padlocked. People were forced to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles, with no effective pedestrian routes or crossing points and no effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because site layout changes were not reflected in the plan, including missing key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some skips deformed, stacks reaching three high in places, and skips positioned in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicles, increasing the risk of skips collapsing or falling.

What Was The Outcome?

After improvement notices were served, a further HSE investigation found the employer had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse. The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under s33 1 a of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Ensure there are clear designated pedestrian routes and crossing points, and do not rely on pedestrians sharing vehicle routes, especially where large vehicles operate.

Keep traffic management plans current and usable. A visual traffic plan must be visible to staff and visitors and updated when site layouts or access routes change, including routes to welfare facilities.

Avoid unsafe stockpiling of heavy items. Where skips can collapse or fall, control stacking arrangements and condition of the skips themselves, and do not store them in areas workers regularly access on foot or by vehicle.

Use additional controls for reversing and movement around the yard. Where large vehicles need to reverse, consider additional precautions beyond a general site plan and implement them where they are needed to protect people working nearby.

Take prior enforcement seriously and improve fully. If you have been previously warned or prohibited for similar risks, treat it as evidence that existing arrangements are not adequate and ensure the corrective actions genuinely remove the hazards.

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