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

Brief Summary

HSE inspected a waste and recycling site and found multiple breaches, including skips piled three high in places, instability risks, and poor separation of pedestrians from vehicles. Despite improvement notices and previous enforcement action, the company pleaded guilty to offences and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and loading equipment moving around the site with inadequate pedestrian control. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points and no effective segregation. A visual traffic plan was present but was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, including routes to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, including some deformed skips, with stacking reaching three high in places. The unsafe stacking increased the likelihood of collapse or a skip falling, and skips were located in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. Improvement notices were served requiring action within specified timescales, and HSE also found the company had previously been subject to enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 about stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians from vehicle movements. Provide effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so people are not forced onto vehicle routes, particularly where heavy vehicles and reversing are involved.

Keep traffic management information visible and current. Traffic plans must be accessible to staff and visitors and updated when the site layout changes, so they reflect how people actually move around the yard.

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