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

Brief Summary

HSE visited a waste and recycling site and found multiple health and safety failures, including skips stockpiled three high in areas accessed by workers and poor pedestrian vehicle separation. The regulator also noted that traffic control arrangements were not effectively communicated or updated after site changes. The company had previously received enforcement action relating to stockpiling and collapse risk, making the repeated failures a key issue.

What Was The Incident?

Inspectors observed vehicles and loading plant being driven around the site without effective segregation from pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing people to use a route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. The company had a visual traffic plan but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, so it did not address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets.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, with some deformed and with three high stacking in places. The height and condition of the skips increased the likelihood of collapse or items falling. Skips were stored in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, creating a serious risk of falling incidents.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE enforcement also included improvement notices after a further visit 11 days later, and the case followed earlier enforcement action where prohibition notices had been served in 2019 relating to stockpiling and collapse risk.

Key Points To Consider

Keep pedestrians and vehicles properly separated. Plan and implement clear segregation with designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so people do not have to use vehicle circulation routes.

Make traffic arrangements visible and up to date. Ensure site traffic plans are accessible to staff and visitors and are updated when site configurations change so they reflect actual pedestrian movements.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling. Avoid stacking skips in ways that increase instability, including three high arrangements in areas where workers are routinely present, and assess risks from damaged or deformed skips.

Use targeted precautions for plant movement and reversing scenarios. Where large vehicles must reverse or share circulation space with people, provide additional precautions to protect those nearby, rather than relying on general arrangements.

Act quickly on enforcement advice and repeat failures are especially serious. Prior enforcement relating to similar hazards should trigger rapid corrective action and assurance that controls address the specific risks identified, not just a general compliance exercise.

HSE Prosecution Link