Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

The HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles and skips stockpiled unsafely, creating a risk of collapse. The employer had improvement notices and had previously faced enforcement action, but did not bring arrangements under control.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited a waste and recycling site and found vehicles and plant being driven around the yard without effective pedestrian separation. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route shared by lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, despite a requirement to organise workplace movement safely. The employer also had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, including pedestrian movements to access toilets. Inspectors found skips stacked in an unsafe condition, with some deformed and stacked up to three high in places. This increased the likelihood of collapse and falling. Skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the risk to people nearby.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs. The case followed improvement notices requiring action within specified timescales, after a later HSE visit. The investigation also found the employer had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to skip stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Where people must move around a site with large vehicles and plant, provide clear pedestrian routes and crossing points and ensure pedestrians are not forced onto vehicle routes.

Keep site traffic management plans current and visible. A traffic plan is not enough if it is out of date or not communicated. Update it when site layouts change and make sure staff and visitors can see and use it.

Control reversing and vehicle movement risks. If large vehicles must reverse, treat it as a higher risk activity and implement additional precautions to protect anyone working nearby.

Manage skip stability and stacking arrangements. Do not stockpile skips in a way that increases the chance of collapse. Address instability, including damage to skips, and avoid stacking that creates a foreseeable falling hazard.

Act on enforcement history and improvement notices. Previous prohibition and follow up action increased the expectation for prompt and effective compliance. Use improvement notices to drive corrective actions that actually reduce exposure to serious injury and death.

HSE Prosecution Link