Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips piled three high in areas used by workers and pedestrians being forced to use vehicle routes due to poor segregation. The employer was fined for offences under health and safety law and had previous enforcement history relating to skip stockpiling and collapse risks.

What Was The Incident?

When HSE inspectors visited the site, they observed vehicles and plant being driven around the yard and found that pedestrian access was chained and padlocked. Pedestrians had to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles, with no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although there was a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, so it did not reflect key pedestrian movements, including access to toilets across the yard. Inspectors also identified skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed and piled to three high in places. The stack height and deformation increased the risk of collapse or falling. Skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, creating a high risk that skips could fall 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, relating to putting employees, agency workers and other persons at risk of death and serious personal injury. The court fined the company £167,000 and ordered it to pay £16,195 in costs.

Key Points To Consider

Provide effective pedestrian and vehicle segregation. Pedestrians must have safe circulation routes, with clear separation from vehicles and plant, especially where reversing by large vehicles is involved.

Keep traffic plans visible and current. A visual traffic plan must be accessible to staff and visitors and updated when the site layout changes so it reflects real pedestrian movements.

Prevent collapse risks from stored skips. Where skips are stacked, consider weight and stability, and do not allow unsafe stacking conditions such as deformation or excessive height.

Remove hazards from areas people regularly use. Do not store potentially unstable items in locations that workers access frequently on foot or in vehicles, since a fall can have serious consequences.

Treat previous enforcement as a warning to improve. If regulators have previously issued prohibition or other notices about similar risks, ensure the control measures are implemented and sustained across the whole site.

HSE Prosecution Link