Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failings at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked three high in areas accessed by pedestrians and vehicles, and poor segregation between vehicles and people. Enforcement action was already known to the company, but risks remained. The employer pleaded guilty to offences and was fined.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspection at the site found vehicles and loading shovels driven freely around the yard, while the pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked. People had to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles because there were no effective 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 Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after the site layout changed. HSE also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed and stacked up to three high in places, increasing the risk of collapse or falling. Some of the skip stacks were located in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicles.

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 1974 and was fined £167,000, with £16,195 costs ordered. HSE had previously served prohibition notices in 2019 about stockpiling and risks of collapse, and after further concerns it served improvement notices requiring specific actions within a set timescale.

Key Points To Consider

Provide real vehicle and pedestrian segregation. Pedestrians must have safe routes separate from vehicle movements, supported by clear crossing points where needed rather than forcing people to use lorry routes.

Keep traffic management controls up to date and usable. A traffic plan is only effective if it is visible to staff and visitors and reflects current site layout and key pedestrian routes such as access to welfare facilities.

Control collapse risks from heavy skip storage. Where large and heavy skips are stored, ensure stacking is stable and avoid conditions that increase the likelihood of collapse or falling, especially where deformation is present or stacks are too high.

Avoid placing stored waste where people must routinely pass. Do not store skips in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or by vehicles, as this increases the chance of injury if items fall.

Act on prior enforcement and improvement notices. Previous prohibition action and served improvement notices should drive prompt and sustained compliance, not a return to unsafe arrangements.

HSE Prosecution Link