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

Brief Summary

The HSE prosecuted a waste and recycling company after inspections found multiple health and safety failures, including skips piled three high in areas workers accessed and a lack of effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The employer had improvement notices following earlier enforcement, but further issues were found during follow up.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and loading equipment being driven around the site without effective pedestrian control. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no clearly designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, and the traffic management approach was not effective because a visual traffic plan was not visible to staff and visitors and was out of date after changes to the site layout. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, including deformed skips. In places the stacks were three high, increasing the risk of collapse or items falling, and some of the skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33 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. HSE enforcement followed improvement notices requiring action within a specified timescale, and the later investigation found the employer had previously been subject to prohibition notices served in 2019 relating to stockpiling and collapse risks.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure pedestrians and vehicles are effectively separated. Traffic arrangements must clearly protect people on foot from vehicle routes, with designated pedestrian routes and crossing points where appropriate.

Keep traffic plans visible and up to date. Even if a traffic plan exists, it must be visible to staff and visitors and reflect the current site configuration so it addresses where pedestrians need to go.

Avoid unsafe stockpiling that can collapse. Large heavy items such as skips must not be stacked in a way that increases instability or the likelihood of collapse or falling.

Control storage areas so workers are not routinely exposed. Do not place stored loads in areas regularly accessed by workers, whether on foot or by vehicle, where falling or collapse risks would expose people.

Prior enforcement should trigger faster improvement and tighter assurance. Where earlier prohibition notices have already highlighted duties, the employer should use that information to strengthen site controls and ensure corrective actions are sustained.

HSE Prosecution Link