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

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failings at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked three high in places, poor segregation of pedestrians and vehicles, and a traffic plan that was not visible or kept up to date. The employer also had previous enforcement action relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE inspection at a South East London site, inspectors observed vehicles and loading plant moving around freely while the pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked. People had to use the vehicle entrance route, with no effective segregation through 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 Although the employer had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because site layout changes had not been reflected, including key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips dangerously stacked, including some deformed skips, with stacks three high in places. The instability risk was increased by the height and condition of the skips, and they were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs. HSE also previously served prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were served requiring action within a specified timescale before the later investigation.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles in a way that works in practice. A traffic layout is not enough if people must use vehicle routes because pedestrian access is blocked, or if there are no designated pedestrian routes and crossing points.

Treat skip stockpiling as a major collapse risk. Large and heavy skips stacked three high, especially where some are deformed, can create potentially catastrophic consequences, particularly when stacked in areas regularly accessed by workers.

Keep traffic management information visible and current. A traffic plan that is not visible to staff and visitors, and that does not reflect changes to the site configuration, will not control key pedestrian movements and will undermine arrangements for vehicle movement.

Use enforcement history as a trigger for improved controls. Previous prohibition notices relating to stockpiling and collapse risks indicate the legal duties were already known, so later failures suggest controls were not effectively implemented or sustained.

Remember the duty includes agency workers and others on site. Planning and site organisation must protect employees, agency workers, and other persons, not just the workforce involved in loading, driving, or skip handling.

HSE Prosecution Link