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

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple workplace health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including ineffective vehicle and pedestrian arrangements and skips stacked three high in accessible areas, creating a risk of serious harm if a collapse occurred. The employer pleaded guilty to offences and was fined and ordered to pay costs.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and loading equipment being driven around the site without effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, including some deformed skips, with stacks up to three high in places. The stacking area was regularly accessed by workers on foot and in vehicles, increasing the risk of skips falling. A traffic plan existed but was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, meaning it did not address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Following improvement notices requiring action within set timescales, a further HSE investigation found prior enforcement history, including prohibition notices served in 2019 concerning stockpiling and collapse risk.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under s33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to fulfil duties under Sections 2 and 3 by putting employees, agency workers and other persons at risk of death and serious personal injury. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Plan and implement clear pedestrian routes and crossing points so people can move safely without being forced to share routes used by lorries and other vehicles.

Keep traffic arrangements current and usable. A traffic plan is not enough on paper. Ensure it is visible to staff and visitors and updated when site layouts change so it covers real pedestrian movements across the yard.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling. Manage skip stockpiling so stacks cannot become unstable, including taking account of skip condition and stack height, especially where skips are stored in areas regularly accessed by workers.

Use additional precautions for reversing and complex vehicle movements. Where large vehicles must reverse, consider further measures to protect people working nearby rather than relying on general traffic arrangements.

Prior enforcement should drive improvement, not repeats. If enforcement action has previously been taken for similar risks, treat that as evidence of known legal duties and strengthen controls to ensure compliance is sustained.

HSE Prosecution Link