Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Segregation

Brief Summary

The HSE found multiple site management failures at a waste and recycling business, including poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles, an out of date traffic plan, and skips stacked three high in unsafe locations. Enforcement notices were served and the matter had been subject to earlier prohibition action. The company pleaded guilty and was fined by the court.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE inspection in August 2022, inspectors saw vehicles and loading equipment moving freely around the site. Pedestrian entry was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There was no effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. The company had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, including pedestrian access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips, increasing instability. The stack height was three high in places, raising the likelihood of collapse or items falling. Skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicles, which increased the risk of falls onto people.

What Was The Outcome?

The company was prosecuted for failing to meet duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act by exposing people on site, including employees and agency workers, to a risk of death and or serious personal injury. It pleaded guilty to two offences under s33(1)(a). The business was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. The HSE had previously served prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and collapse risk and served improvement notices after the 2022 inspection.

Key Points To Consider

Provide effective separation of pedestrians and vehicles. Do not rely on shared routes where people must pass vehicle movements; use designated pedestrian routes and crossing points and ensure they are effective in practice.

Keep site traffic planning current and visible. A traffic plan must match the current site layout and must be visible and understandable to staff and visitors, including where people need to access welfare such as toilets.

Control vehicle movement, especially where reversing is involved. Where large vehicles may reverse or pedestrians are nearby, use additional precautions to protect people working or moving around the yard.

Avoid unsafe stacking of skips and other heavy materials. Do not stockpile skips in a way that increases collapse risk, particularly where skips are deformed or stacked too high; stability must be assured.

Respond promptly and effectively to enforcement history. If improvement or prohibition action has previously been taken, treat that as a clear warning to reassess risks and implement lasting controls rather than repeating the same failures.

HSE Prosecution Link