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

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple failings at a waste and recycling site, including skips piled three high in areas used by workers and poor arrangements for managing vehicle and pedestrian movement. Following improvement notices and a later investigation that noted prior enforcement, the employer pleaded guilty to offences and received a fine.

What Was The Incident?

On an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and loading plant moving around the site without effective segregation from pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, so pedestrians had to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. While a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date due to changes to the site layout. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed and piled up to three high in places, increasing the likelihood of collapse or items falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, placing people at risk when stacks failed.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer was prosecuted for failing to fulfil duties under the relevant sections of the Act by putting people on site at risk of death or serious personal injury. It pleaded guilty to two offences and was fined £167,000, with £16,195 in costs ordered. The case followed improvement notices requiring action within a specified timescale, and HSE noted previous enforcement in 2019 including prohibition notices related to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Control vehicle and pedestrian movement properly. Ensure there is effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes and crossing points, and do not rely on people being forced to use vehicle routes.

Keep site traffic plans current and accessible. A traffic plan must be visible to staff and visitors and updated when site arrangements change, including routes that pedestrians need for everyday access such as toilets.

Prevent skip collapse by managing height and stability. Avoid unsafe stacking and consider the risks from weight and size, including the added instability from deformed skips and stacking to multiple levels.

Do not store hazards in places people regularly use. Keep stockpiled items away from areas routinely accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles to reduce the risk of falls and collapse onto people.

Take early enforcement and prior findings seriously. If the business has already been warned or had enforcement action previously, treat improvement notice requirements as a chance to fully fix the underlying legal duties rather than making partial changes.

HSE Prosecution Link