Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

A waste and recycling company received a fine after the regulator found multiple serious health and safety failures on site, including poor segregation of pedestrians and vehicles and skips stockpiled up to three high in areas where workers accessed them. The investigation also identified weaknesses in the traffic management plan and noted the employer had previously faced enforcement action relating to skip stockpiling and collapse risks.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven freely around the site, with pedestrians having to use the vehicle route because the pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked. There was no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, meaning it did not cover key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed and stacked in places regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles. In places the stacks were three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or items falling.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under s33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. Further enforcement action included improvement notices requiring remedial action within a specified timescale, and the HSE investigation noted earlier enforcement in 2019 with prohibition notices relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure clear segregation between pedestrians and vehicles. Pedestrian entrances and routes must allow safe movement without forcing people onto vehicle circulation areas, with appropriate designated routes and crossing points where required.

Keep traffic management plans current and visible. A traffic plan is not enough if it is out of date or not communicated to staff and visitors, particularly when the site configuration changes.

Manage vehicle reversal risks with additional precautions. Where large vehicles may reverse, employers should assess the risk to people nearby and implement extra control measures to protect pedestrians and workers.

Control storage of skips to prevent collapse and falling. Skips must not be stockpiled in unstable ways such as stacking too high or allowing deformed skips, and the stacking method must account for the consequences of collapse.

Learn from previous enforcement and act promptly on notices. If enforcement has previously identified the same type of risk, the organisation must treat it as a serious warning sign and ensure improvement notices are complied with effectively and within timescales.

HSE Prosecution Link