Waste Company Fined After Dangerous Skip Stockpiling and Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Controls

Brief Summary

HSE identified multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas accessed by workers and poor vehicle and pedestrian segregation. The company was found to have put people at risk of death or serious injury, and it was fined after pleading guilty.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited the site in August 2022 and found vehicles and loading equipment being driven around the yard. The pedestrian entrance was secured, so pedestrians had to use the same route as vehicles, including lorries, without effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although the company had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformation indicating instability. The stacking height reached three high in places, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicle.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences and was fined £167,000, with costs of £16,195. HSE had previously served prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and collapse risks, and after improvement notices were served in 2022, HSE found further breaches requiring action within set timescales.

Key Points To Consider

Separate people from vehicles on site. Ensure there are clearly defined and effective pedestrian routes and crossing points so pedestrians do not have to use vehicle routes, particularly where large vehicles and reversing movements occur.

Keep traffic arrangements current and usable. A traffic plan must be visible to staff and visitors and updated when site layout or access patterns change, so it reflects real pedestrian movements and vehicle flows.

Control hazards from unstable stacked waste. Do not allow skip stockpiles that could collapse, including stacks that are too high or show deformation, and keep them out of areas regularly accessed by workers.

Review site risks after enforcement history. If you have previously received enforcement action relating to collapse risks or stockpiling, treat this as a clear signal to improve controls and prevent repeat failures rather than relying on earlier measures.

Implement additional precautions for reversing and heavy vehicles. Where reversing by large vehicles is unavoidable, plan and implement further precautions to protect anyone working nearby, as generic arrangements are not enough to manage the real risk.

HSE Prosecution Link