Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Traffic Management

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including unsafe skip stockpiling and ineffective separation of pedestrians and vehicles. The employer was fined after pleading guilty, and the case highlights the need to keep traffic management measures current and to control collapse and fall hazards from stored waste.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited a waste and recycling site and observed tipper lorries and loading shovels moving around freely. Pedestrian access was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use a route also used by lorries and other vehicles. There was no effective segregation through designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. Although the employer had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site configuration had changed since the plan was produced, leaving key pedestrian movements such as access across the yard to toilets unmanaged. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some skips deformed and stacks up to three high in places. The stacked skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the risk of falls and collapse. HSE previously served prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and collapse risks, and further improvement notices were issued after the August 2022 findings, followed by a later investigation.

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 for failing to fulfil duties under sections 2 and 3 by exposing people on site to the risk of death and serious personal injury. The fine was £167,000 and the employer was ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. Improvement notices had been served after the initial HSE concerns.

Key Points To Consider

Keep pedestrian and vehicle segregation effective. Where pedestrians must move around vehicle areas, use clearly designated pedestrian routes and crossing arrangements rather than forcing people to share vehicle access points.

Update traffic management plans when site layouts change. If a visual traffic plan becomes out of date due to changes in site configuration, it will not control movements. Ensure staff and visitors can see and follow current arrangements, including pedestrian routes to facilities.

Control collapse and fall risks from stored skips. Unsafe stacking, including deformed skips and stacking up to three high in areas regularly used by workers, can create a high risk of collapse or falling. Review storage layout and stack stability controls.

Design site routes with the reversing and movement of large vehicles in mind. Large vehicles and reversing operations require additional precautions to protect people working nearby. Consider suitable site controls so that vehicle movement does not depend on informal behaviour.

Respond to enforcement history with sustained compliance. Where previous enforcement action has identified similar risks, repeat failures indicate that controls are not being embedded. Use improvement notices and follow up actions to ensure changes are implemented and remain effective.

HSE Prosecution Link