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

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high and unsafe arrangements for moving vehicles and pedestrians. The pedestrian route was effectively forced onto the vehicle route and there was no effective segregation. The employer had an outdated traffic plan and the company had previously been subject to enforcement action. The employer pleaded guilty and was fined with costs.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site without effective pedestrian and vehicle segregation. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. The employer had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. It did not address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked in an unsafe way, including some deformed skips that reduced stability. In places the stack was three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The stacks were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under s33(1)(a) of the Act. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE also served improvement notices requiring action within a specified timescale after the initial concerns, and noted that previous prohibition notices had been served in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Provide real segregation between pedestrians and vehicles. Do not rely on informal movement across the yard; use designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so people do not have to share vehicle routes, especially where vehicles operate frequently.

Keep traffic management plans current and usable. A traffic plan must be visible to those on site and reflect the actual layout and movements after any changes, including routes for access to welfare facilities.

Control skip stacking to prevent collapse and falling. Avoid stockpiling that increases instability, such as stacking skips three high in areas used by workers, and do not stack deformed skips that add to the risk.

Recognise the severity of risk from heavy stored loads. Where stored items like skips could collapse, treat the consequences as potentially catastrophic and ensure precautions are implemented rather than assumed.

Act decisively after enforcement action and notices. If previous prohibition or improvement notices have already identified legal duties, ensure corrective actions are completed and verified within timescales rather than allowing the same hazards to persist.

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