Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Pedestrian Vehicle Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failings at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas regularly accessed by workers, and vehicles circulating without effective pedestrian segregation. The company had been subject to previous enforcement about collapse risks but still failed to ensure safe organisation of the workplace, resulting in a fine and costs.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed a busy internal traffic environment with tipper lorries and loading shovels driven around the site, while pedestrians were forced to use the vehicle entrance route because the pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked. There was no effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians, and the visual traffic plan was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date following changes to site layout. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked with some deformed skips, increasing instability, and stacked three high in places. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers either on foot or in vehicles, creating a serious risk of collapse or a falling load.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences under section 33 1 a of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE also previously served prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were served following the August 2022 concerns with action required within a specified timescale.

Key Points To Consider

Plan and control pedestrian and vehicle movements. Organise the workplace so pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely, including clear designated pedestrian routes and crossing points rather than forcing people to use vehicle routes.

Treat stockpiled plant and loads as collapse hazards. Where there are large and heavy skips, ensure stacking arrangements prevent instability and consider the potentially catastrophic consequences of collapse or falling items, especially where skips are in frequently accessed areas.

Keep site traffic plans current and visible. A traffic plan must be up to date with changes in site configuration and must be made visible and understood by staff and visitors so it actually controls movements in practice.

Address increased risk during reversing and mixed traffic. When large vehicles must reverse or operate in confined areas, provide additional precautions to protect people working nearby and do not rely on nominal planning without effective barriers and controls.

Use previous enforcement as a trigger for improvement. If enforcement action has already been taken for stockpiling and collapse risks, review and strengthen controls promptly, because repeating similar failures will be treated seriously by regulators.

HSE Prosecution Link