Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Separation

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including poor segregation between vehicles and pedestrians and skips stacked up to three high in areas where people regularly worked or passed. The employer had previously been subject to enforcement action, making the repeated risks particularly serious.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit, inspectors observed tipper lorries and loading shovels driven around the site and found that pedestrian access was chained and padlocked. People had to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles, with no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although the employer had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after changes to the site layout, including failure to address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed and an overall stack height of three high in places. The instability increased the likelihood of collapse or falling, and skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, placing people at risk of serious harm if a skip fell or collapsed.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs at a hearing in May 2026. HSE had previously served prohibition notices in 2019 related to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices required further action within a specified timescale after the August 2022 visit.

Key Points To Consider

Physically separate vehicles and pedestrians. Where people must move through a yard, provide effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes and crossing arrangements so pedestrians do not rely on the same paths as lorries and other vehicles.

Keep traffic management information current and usable. A traffic plan is not enough if it is not visible and up to date. Review site layout changes and make sure staff and visitors can easily follow the current arrangements, including routes to key facilities such as toilets.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling. Given the size and weight of skips, treat stockpiling as a structural stability risk. Ensure stacking arrangements account for deformation, stacking height and the likelihood of collapse or falling.

Avoid placing unstable storage where people pass or work. Do not store skips in areas that workers regularly access on foot or in vehicles. If people will be in the vicinity, redesign the layout or storage location to reduce exposure to falling objects.

Take enforcement history seriously and act early. Prior enforcement does not reduce duty. If you have previously received prohibition or other notices, use them to drive sustained compliance and ensure risk controls remain effective after site changes.

HSE Prosecution Link