Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Segregation

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple serious health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including poor segregation of pedestrians from vehicles and skips stacked three high in areas workers frequently accessed. The employer had been previously subject to enforcement relating to stockpiling and collapse risk. It pleaded guilty to offences and was fined, with costs ordered.

What Was The Incident?

HSE visited the site and observed vehicles including tipper lorries and loading shovels moving freely around the yard. Pedestrian access was restricted by chaining and padlocking the pedestrian entrance, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, despite the duty to organise site circulation so pedestrians and vehicles can move safely. The employer had a visual traffic plan but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed skips adding to instability. In places the stack was three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling, and the skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

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 1974. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE noted that improvement notices were served and that a further visit followed to check compliance within the required timescale. HSE also found the employer had previously been subject to prohibition notices in 2019 concerning stockpiling and the risk of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Do not rely on restricted entrances that force people to use vehicle routes. Provide clear, designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so movement around the site does not create a collision or crush risk.

Keep traffic management plans visible and current. A traffic plan must be usable for staff and visitors. If the site layout changes, revise the plan and ensure it can be seen and followed by everyone on the ground.

Control hazards from unstable stackable waste. Where skips or similar items can deform or become unstable, treat stack height and condition as critical factors. Assess collapse and falling risks and keep stacked items out of regularly used areas.

Plan for reversing and complex vehicle movement. When large vehicles must reverse or circulate around work areas, consider additional precautions for people working nearby. Ensure arrangements go beyond a generic plan and reflect the actual site layout and traffic patterns.

Act on enforcement history and repeat patterns. Prior enforcement on similar issues is a warning that controls must be implemented properly and sustained. Improvement actions should address the root causes, not just the immediate non compliance.

HSE Prosecution Link