Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Separation

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 stacked up to three high in areas regularly accessed by workers. The employer had previously received enforcement action relating to stockpiling and collapse risk. The employer pleaded guilty and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site. Pedestrian access was not effectively managed because the pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing people to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points to provide clear segregation from vehicle movement. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and had become out of date after changes to the site, including failure to address key pedestrian movement to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips that increased instability. In places the stack was three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or a falling object. The skips were stacked in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicle, creating a serious risk of a fall.

What Was The Outcome?

After improvement notices were served, the matter was investigated further. The HSE found the employer had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices served in 2019 about stockpiling and risks of collapse. The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 towards costs. No additional penalties were stated in the provided information.

Key Points To Consider

Provide effective segregation of pedestrians and vehicles. Do not rely on restricted access alone. Use clear designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so people are not forced to share vehicle routes, particularly where vehicles move around the site freely.

Keep traffic management arrangements visible and current. A traffic plan is not enough if staff and visitors cannot see it. Review and update arrangements when site layouts or routes change, and ensure they cover how people need to move, including access to facilities such as toilets.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling loads. Stacking skips to excessive heights and allowing deformed skips to remain in use increases instability and collapse risk. Apply suitable controls for stability, including how and where skips are stored.

Do not store risky materials in routes regularly used by workers. If workers pass on foot or by vehicle in the vicinity of stored skips, the consequence of collapse becomes much more severe. Choose storage locations and layouts that keep people away from any potential fall zone.

Use prior enforcement as a prompt to improve, not as an endpoint. Where there has been earlier enforcement related to stockpiling and collapse risk, the employer must demonstrate that controls have been implemented and sustained, not just that notices were complied with.

HSE Prosecution Link