Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Weak Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE enforcement action followed observations that pedestrians were routed through vehicle areas, there was no effective segregation of vehicles and people, and skips were stockpiled in an unstable way in places workers regularly accessed. The company had previously been subject to enforcement relating to stockpiling and collapse risks, making the failures particularly serious.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit to a waste and recycling site in August 2022, inspectors saw vehicles operating around the yard without effective protection for pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was secured with a chain and padlock, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle entrance route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no designated pedestrian routes or crossing points to separate people from vehicles. Although the employer had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and had become out of date due to changes to the site layout. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely. Some skips were deformed, some stacks were three high, and the arrangement increased the likelihood of collapse or items falling. The stacks were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the risk to people nearby.

What Was The Outcome?

After improvement notices were served, requiring actions within a specified timescale, a further investigation identified that the company had previously received enforcement action, including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse. The employer 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.

Key Points To Consider

Provide clear vehicle and pedestrian segregation. Organise site traffic so pedestrians can circulate safely and are not funneled into vehicle routes, with designated pedestrian routes and crossing arrangements where needed.

Keep traffic management plans visible and current. A traffic plan that is not visible to staff and visitors, or that does not reflect changes to the site layout and pedestrian movements, will not control risk in practice.

Control risks from stored and stacked plant and materials. Where heavy items such as skips are stockpiled, stacking stability must be managed to reduce the risk of collapse or falling, particularly where items are deformed or stacked too high.

Avoid placing unstable storage where people routinely access. Do not locate potentially unstable stacks in areas that workers regularly use on foot or by vehicle, since proximity increases the chance of serious injury.

Use previous enforcement as a prompt to implement lasting change. When enforcement has previously identified weaknesses in stockpiling and collapse risks, employers should review and improve controls rather than repeat the same patterns of failure.

HSE Prosecution Link