Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Weak Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple serious failures at a waste and recycling site, including poorly controlled vehicle movements, ineffective pedestrian segregation, and skips stockpiled in unsafe conditions in areas people accessed, creating a potentially catastrophic risk of collapse. The employer pleaded guilty to two offences and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited a waste and recycling site and observed vehicles and loading equipment being driven around the yard without effective pedestrian segregation. The pedestrian access route was chained and padlocked, forcing people to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after the site layout changed, so it did not address key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilet facilities. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, including some deformed skips. In places the skips were three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, creating a high risk of skips falling onto people.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences for failing to fulfil duties to protect people on site from risk of death or serious personal injury. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs.

Key Points To Consider

Plan pedestrian routes and keep them separated from vehicles. Ensure pedestrians have designated routes with clear segregation from vehicle traffic, and do not route people through areas used by lorries and other vehicles unless effective precautions are in place.

Keep traffic management arrangements current and visible. Review and update traffic plans when the site layout changes, and make sure the arrangements are visible and understood by staff and visitors.

Use extra precautions where vehicles reverse and traffic is complex. Where large vehicles reverse or manoeuvre around people, identify additional risks and implement appropriate controls to protect anyone working nearby.

Do not allow unsafe stockpiling of heavy materials. Control how skips and similar equipment are stacked, including stability checks, and prevent stacking in locations that people regularly access.

Prior enforcement should trigger immediate action and stronger assurance. If you have previously received enforcement or warnings about stockpiling and collapse risks, treat this as a clear signal to re assess arrangements, verify compliance, and reduce exposure to people on site.

HSE Prosecution Link