Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Weak Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE identified multiple health and safety failings at a waste and recycling site, including pedestrians being routed through areas used by lorries, and skips stacked three high in places, increasing the risk of collapse. The company was previously subject to enforcement action for similar issues. It pleaded guilty to offences and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE inspection on 11 August 2022, inspectors saw vehicles and loading equipment being driven around the site with no effective segregation between pedestrians and vehicles. The pedestrian entrance was secured and people had to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were also no safe designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. HSE also found skips stacked unsafely, including some deformed skips. In places the stack was three high, making collapse or items falling more likely. The skips were positioned in an area regularly accessed by workers, on foot or in vehicles, which increased the risk of them being struck by a collapsing stack.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE enforcement had earlier included prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were served following the 2022 inspection to require corrective action within set timescales.

Key Points To Consider

Provide effective pedestrian and vehicle separation. Do not rely on informal arrangements or blocked entrances; ensure pedestrians have designated routes and crossing points that protect them from vehicle movements, especially where reversing occurs.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse risk. Avoid stacking skips in a way that increases instability, and treat deformation and excessive stacking height as clear indicators the arrangement is unsafe for continued use.

Keep traffic plans current and usable. A traffic plan that is not visible and is out of date will not protect people; review it when site layouts change and make sure staff and visitors can follow it.

Remove hazards from areas workers regularly access. Do not place unstable stored items in locations routinely used by workers on foot or in vehicles, because this significantly increases the consequences if something falls or collapses.

Act decisively after enforcement and previous warnings. If the organisation has already received enforcement action for similar risks, corrective measures must be robust and timely, not delayed or incomplete, and they must address the specific hazards identified.

HSE Prosecution Link