Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Control

Brief Summary

An HSE inspection identified multiple safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips piled three high in areas used by workers and ineffective segregation of pedestrians from vehicles. The employer was ordered to pay a substantial fine and costs after pleading guilty to offences related to exposing people to risk of death or serious injury.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited in August 2022 and found vehicles such as tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the site without safe pedestrian routes. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There was no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and had become out of date because the site layout had changed, so it did not address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely. Some skips were deformed, which added to instability. In places the stack was three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or items falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, exposing people to a high risk of falling material. HSE served improvement notices after the initial concerns, requiring action within a specified timescale, and carried out a further visit to assess progress. The investigation also noted earlier enforcement action in 2019, when prohibition notices had been served relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE enforcement action included improvement notices following the initial inspection and the case followed previous prohibition notices in 2019 relating to similar risks.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively across the whole site. Ensure pedestrians have designated safe routes and crossing points, rather than forcing them to use vehicle paths, especially where vehicles move frequently and reversing may occur.

Keep site traffic plans current and usable. A traffic plan must be visible and reflect the current site layout and pedestrian movement patterns, with updates made when the yard configuration changes.

Prevent skip and waste stockpiles from becoming unstable. Do not allow skips to be deformed or stacked to heights that increase the likelihood of collapse or falling items, particularly where people are close by.

Control risks where waste areas are regularly accessed. Where workers access stockpiles on foot or in vehicles, treat it as a high consequence area and apply robust arrangements to reduce the chance of falling or collapse affecting people.

Act quickly on enforcement and address known legal duties. If previous enforcement has already highlighted shortcomings, improvements must be delivered in a way that genuinely removes risk, not just meets notice timelines.

HSE Prosecution Link