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

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked three high in areas workers regularly accessed and vehicles and pedestrians sharing routes without effective segregation. Following improvement notices, the company was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to offences connected with exposing people to risk of death or serious injury.

What Was The Incident?

At a waste and recycling site, vehicles including tipper lorries and loading shovels were observed moving around freely. Pedestrian access was not properly controlled, with the pedestrian entrance chained and padlocked and pedestrians forced to use the same route as vehicles. The site did not have effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site configuration had changed. HSE also found skips that were unsafely stacked, with some deformed and stacked three high in places. This increased the risk of collapse or falling, and the skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicle. Because the initial concerns involved breaches requiring action, further enforcement activity followed after improvement notices were served.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under Section 33 1 a of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. The company was fined 167,000 and ordered to pay 16,195 costs. HSE enforcement also highlighted that the company had previously been subject to prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Ensure clear vehicle and pedestrian segregation. Do not allow pedestrians to share vehicle routes without effective separation, designated routes, and suitable crossing arrangements, especially where vehicles operate frequently and reversals may be needed.

Keep traffic plans visible and current. A traffic plan is only useful if staff and visitors can see it and it reflects the current site layout and the key pedestrian movements, such as routes to welfare facilities.

Control risks from stockpiled waste containers. Treat stack stability as a critical hazard, including the impact of container deformation and excessive stacking height that can increase the likelihood of collapse or falling.

Avoid placing hazards in areas people regularly access. Do not store or stack skips and similar items in locations that workers access on foot or by vehicle, as this creates a direct exposure route to falling objects.

Act on enforcement history and legal duties. Where previous enforcement action or notices have already highlighted duties, ensure corrective measures are implemented and verified, rather than relying on plans or assumptions that risks are controlled.

HSE Prosecution Link