Waste Company Fined Over Unsafe Skip Stacking and Poor Site Segregation

Brief Summary

The HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked three high in places, unstable arrangements and inadequate separation between vehicles and pedestrians. The company was previously subject to enforcement action, yet further breaches were identified, resulting in prosecution, a fine and costs.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited a waste and recycling site and observed vehicles, including tipper lorries and loading shovels, being driven freely around the yard. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, so pedestrians had to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, and the traffic plan was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because site arrangements had changed. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed, creating instability. In places the stack was three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or items falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers, on foot or by vehicle, increasing the risk to people if skips fell.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE enforcement action included improvement notices, and the investigation found the company had previously received prohibition notices in 2019 about stockpiling and collapse risks.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure pedestrians and vehicles are effectively segregated. Pedestrian routes and crossing arrangements must be clearly planned and implemented so people are not forced to use vehicle routes, including where vehicles circulate freely on site.

Use a traffic management plan that staff and visitors can actually follow. A written traffic plan is not enough if it is not visible and not kept up to date with site layout changes and pedestrian movements such as routes to welfare facilities.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling objects. Skips must not be stacked in a way that creates instability, including arrangements affected by deformation, excessive stacking height or placement in areas where people routinely pass.

Act quickly to implement improvements after HSE notices. Where improvement notices set timescales, employers must remedy the identified breaches within those timeframes and demonstrate effective control of the risks.

Prior enforcement should drive stronger risk reduction. If a company has previously been warned about collapse risks from stockpiling, it should treat that as a clear signal to re assess arrangements and confirm controls are working in practice.

HSE Prosecution Link