Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling And Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Segregation

Brief Summary

An HSE investigation found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including pedestrians being routed through areas used by lorries and other vehicles, traffic arrangements that were not effectively managed for day to day use, and skips piled up to three high in places. The potential for collapse was described as potentially catastrophic, and the company had prior enforcement action related to stockpiling and risks of collapse. The employer pleaded guilty and was fined with additional costs ordered.

What Was The Incident?

During HSE site visits in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles such as tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven freely around the yard. Pedestrian access was constrained, with the pedestrian entrance chained and padlocked so people had to use the vehicle entrance route. There was no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. The employer had a visual traffic plan but it was not visible to staff or visitors and it was out of date because site arrangements had changed, so it did not cover key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, including skips that were deformed. Some stacks were three high in places, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot and in vehicles, so there was a significant risk of skips falling onto people.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to fulfil duties under sections 2 and 3 by putting people on site at risk of death or serious personal injury. The company was fined £167,000 and was ordered to pay £16,195 costs. Improvement notices were also served requiring action within a specified timescale, followed by further HSE investigation.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure pedestrians are safely separated from vehicles. Organise site movement so people do not have to walk through vehicle routes, using designated pedestrian routes and crossing points where vehicles operate.

Keep traffic plans current and communicated. A traffic plan must be visible to staff and visitors and reflect the live site layout, including key pedestrian movements such as access to welfare facilities.

Prevent collapse by controlling how skips are stored. Do not stockpile skips in a way that allows instability, deformation, or excessive height, especially in areas that are regularly accessed by people.

Address reversing and vehicle movement with extra precautions. Where large vehicles reverse or move around the yard, employers must consider additional measures to protect people working nearby, not rely on general arrangements alone.

Act on enforcement history and improvement notices. If previous enforcement action has already highlighted legal duties, improvements must be implemented effectively within required timescales and sustained as site conditions change.

HSE Prosecution Link