Waste Company Fined After Dangerous Skip Stockpiling And Weak Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including dangerously stockpiled skips and poor control of how pedestrians and vehicles moved around the yard. The employer was fined after pleading guilty, and HSE noted the potential for catastrophic harm, especially given previous enforcement action relating to similar risks.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors saw vehicles such as tipper lorries and loading shovels moving around the site while pedestrian access was obstructed by chaining and padlocking. Pedestrians were forced to use the same route as vehicles entering and operating in the yard. There was no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although the employer had a visual traffic plan, it was not available to staff or visitors and was out of date after changes to the site layout, so it did not cover key pedestrian movements such as access to toilets across the yard. Inspectors also found skips stacked in an unsafe way, including some deformed skips and stacks up to three high in places. The stack height and deformation increased the risk of collapse or a falling load. Skips were also stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences relating to putting people on site at risk of death and or serious personal injury. It was fined 167,000 and ordered to pay 16,195 in costs. HSE had also served improvement notices following a further visit 11 days later, and the case reflected prior enforcement, with prohibition notices served in 2019 on similar issues concerning stockpiling and collapse risk.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles using effective site controls. Ensure there are clearly defined pedestrian routes and crossing points, so people are not pushed onto vehicle routes, especially where vehicles move freely around the workplace.

Keep traffic management plans current and accessible. A traffic plan must reflect the actual site layout and must be visible and usable by staff and visitors, particularly where people need to move between key site areas.

Manage the risks of stockpiled waste skips and falling loads. Treat stacked skips as a collapse risk. Avoid unstable stacking practices, account for any deformation of skips, and do not store them in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

Act promptly on enforcement findings and learning from previous action. Where there has been earlier enforcement about similar risks, ensure controls are implemented and verified rather than assuming compliance has been achieved.

Plan for worst case consequences of vehicle movements and load collapse. Where heavy materials and large equipment are involved, consider that outcomes could be catastrophic and put additional precautions in place to protect people nearby, not just basic arrangements.

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