Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stacking and Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Controls

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple serious health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips piled three high in places and a vehicle and pedestrian system that did not protect people working or moving around the yard. The employer was previously subject to enforcement action and ultimately pleaded guilty to offences, receiving a fine and costs.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site without effective segregation from pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, despite the need to organise workplaces so vehicles and people can circulate safely, including additional precautions when large vehicles reverse. Inspectors also found a traffic plan that was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after the site layout had changed. It did not cover key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. In addition, skips were found stacked unsafely, with some deformed and likely to be unstable. The stack height was three high in places, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falls. The skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers, on foot or in vehicles, increasing the risk of people being struck if a skip fell.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33 1 a of the Act. A fine of £167,000 was imposed and £16,195 costs were ordered. HSE also noted that improvement notices were served following the initial visit, and that there had been previous enforcement action in 2019, including prohibition notices relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles in practice not just on paper. Ensure there are effective designated pedestrian routes and crossing points, and do not force people to use vehicle routes. Where reversing is involved, implement extra precautions to protect people working nearby.

Keep traffic plans visible and current. A visual traffic plan must be accessible to staff and visitors and updated when the site layout changes, including routes people use to reach key facilities such as toilets.

Control skip stacking to prevent collapse and falling objects. Assess the stability of skip stacks, including any deformation, and avoid storing skips in a way that increases the risk of collapse or a falling load, especially where people access the area regularly.

Address high risk storage locations immediately. Where skips are placed in areas used on foot or by vehicles, treat the storage arrangement as a critical hazard and ensure risks are eliminated or reduced so that people cannot be struck by a falling skip.

Use past enforcement findings to drive compliance. If you have previously received enforcement action, treat it as a clear warning to review and improve controls. Failure to correct known legal duties increases regulatory scrutiny and enforcement outcomes.

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