Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Segregation

Brief Summary

A waste and recycling company was prosecuted after HSE found multiple workplace safety failures, including skips being stacked dangerously high and poor segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The case highlights the need for effective site layout controls and up to date traffic management to prevent collapse risks and vehicle pedestrian hazards.

What Was The Incident?

HSE visited the company site on 11 August 2022 and found vehicles and loading equipment circulating freely around the yard. Pedestrian access was chained and padlocked, forcing people to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective pedestrian routes or crossing points, and the required segregation between pedestrians and vehicles was not in place. The company had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after changes to the site layout. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips adding to instability. In places, skips were stacked three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The stack area was regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, creating a significant risk of falling skips.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. The HSE investigation followed service of improvement notices requiring actions within a specified timescale, and it also found the company had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Make sure pedestrians have designated routes and crossing points that do not rely on them using the same pathways as large vehicles and other moving plant.

Control reversing and vehicle movements on site. Where large vehicles reverse or manoeuvre around the yard, carry out suitable planning and introduce additional precautions to protect people working nearby.

Keep traffic plans visible and current. A traffic management plan is only useful if it is visible to staff and visitors and updated to reflect current site layouts and key pedestrian movement patterns such as access to facilities.

Prevent skip instability by managing stack height and condition. Ensure skips are not stacked in ways that increase collapse or falling risks, and take account of skip condition such as deformation that undermines stability.

Act quickly on enforcement and address repeat failures. Improvement notices and earlier prohibition action should drive prompt, effective remediation, especially where risks could be catastrophic due to the size and weight of materials involved.

HSE Prosecution Link