Waste Company Fined After Dangerous Skip Stockpiling And Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Control

Brief Summary

A waste and recycling company was prosecuted following HSE findings at a site where vehicle and pedestrian routes were not safely segregated and skips were stockpiled in a way that created a potentially catastrophic collapse risk. The case matters because it shows how poor site organisation and traffic management can expose workers and others to serious risk, particularly where large items are stored near routes used on foot and by vehicles.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and plant moving around the site, including tipper lorries and loading shovels. Pedestrian access was chained and padlocked, forcing people to use the vehicle route. There were no effective designated pedestrian routes or crossing points, and the visual traffic plan was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date after site layout changes, including pedestrian movements to access toilets. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some skips deformed and the stack height reaching three high in places. This increased the likelihood of collapse or falling. The skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers either on foot or in vehicles, placing them at significant risk if a skip fell.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences. The court imposed a fine of 167,000 and ordered costs of 16,195. HSE enforcement action included improvement notices served after the initial concerns were identified, with the subsequent investigation noting earlier enforcement in 2019 involving prohibition notices relating to skip stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrian and vehicle movement on site. Ensure pedestrians can circulate using clearly designated routes and crossing points, rather than being forced to use vehicle routes, especially where vehicles and plant move around freely.

Keep traffic management arrangements current and visible. If you use a traffic plan or similar controls, make sure they are accessible and visible to staff and visitors and updated to reflect changes to site configuration and key pedestrian movements.

Control storage risks from heavy plant and waste containers. Do not stack skips or similar items in ways that increase instability or collapse risk, particularly where they are deformed or stacked higher than is safe for the site conditions.

Review where stored items are placed relative to worker access. Store skips and other containers away from areas regularly used by workers on foot and by vehicles to reduce the consequence if items fall.

Act on enforcement history and legal duties. Where previous prohibition or enforcement action has already highlighted stockpiling and collapse risks, treat that as a clear warning to strengthen controls and meet legal duties to protect workers and other people on site.

HSE Prosecution Link