Waste Company Fined After Skips Stockpiled And Pedestrian Vehicle Controls Failed

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including inadequate vehicle and pedestrian separation and skips piled three high in places. The risk of collapse was described as potentially catastrophic, and the company was previously subject to enforcement action. The employer pleaded guilty to two offences and received a fine plus costs.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and other machinery moving around the yard with no effective segregation from pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and vehicles. There were no designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, despite requirements for safe organisation of vehicle and pedestrian movement. The company had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips that added to instability. Stacks were three high in places, increasing the likelihood of collapse or a skip falling. Skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers, on foot or in vehicles, putting people at risk of serious injury or death if a stack collapsed.

What Was The Outcome?

After improvement notices were served and a further HSE visit took place 11 days later, the investigation found the company had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and the risks of collapse. The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under the Act. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs.

Key Points To Consider

Control traffic so pedestrians and vehicles are truly separated. Provide effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes and crossing points, and do not rely on a practical workaround such as forcing pedestrians to use vehicle routes.

Keep traffic management plans current and visible. Ensure any traffic plan is visible to staff and visitors and updated to reflect changes to site configuration, including access routes to key facilities.

Prevent dangerous skip stacking by managing stability risks. Treat skip stockpiling as a stability risk, especially where skips are deformed or stacked at height, and stop stacking arrangements that increase the likelihood of collapse or falling.

Avoid locating stored materials where people are regularly present. Do not store or stack skips in areas that workers access routinely on foot or in vehicles, since a fall or collapse can place people directly in the hazard zone.

Use prior enforcement as a trigger for thorough action. If the business has previously received enforcement action for similar issues, take that as a clear warning to review controls in full and implement effective measures within required timescales.

HSE Prosecution Link