Waste Company Fined for Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE identified multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas workers accessed, and a vehicle and pedestrian arrangement with no effective segregation. The employer had improvement and enforcement action history, yet risks of serious injury or death remained.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and plant moving around the site, with pedestrians forced to use the vehicle entrance route because the pedestrian entrance was padlocked. There was no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although the site had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and had become out of date after site configuration changes, including routes linked to access to welfare facilities. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed, placed in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The height of the stacks, described as three high in places, contributed to instability.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences and was fined £167,000, with £16,195 costs ordered. HSE also previously served prohibition notices in 2019 related to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were issued during the 2022 visits requiring actions within a set timescale.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure pedestrians and vehicles are effectively separated. Provide clear designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so pedestrians are not forced to share vehicle routes, particularly where vehicles move freely around the workplace.

Keep traffic management controls current and visible. A visual traffic plan is not enough if it is not visible to people on site and does not reflect the current layout, walk routes and access needs.

Control the risks from unstable stored equipment. Avoid stockpiling skips in ways that increase the risk of collapse or falling, especially where skips are deformed and stacked to heights that make failure more likely.

Do not place hazardous storage where workers must pass. Segregate stored items from areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles to prevent people being put at risk if items fall.

Use enforcement history to strengthen compliance. Use enforcement history to strengthen compliance

HSE Prosecution Link