Waste Company Fined After Dangerous Skip Stacking and Unsafe Site Traffic Management

Brief Summary

The regulator found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas workers regularly accessed and poor separation between vehicles and pedestrians. The employer had been previously subject to enforcement action, yet similar risks remained.

What Was The Incident?

During a site visit on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and plant being driven around the yard without effective pedestrian segregation. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and it was out of date because the site layout had changed, including routes across the yard to toilets. The inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some skips deformed and stacked up to three high in places, increasing the risk of collapse or a falling load. Skips were positioned in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences under the relevant Act. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. Improvement notices were served and a further visit took place 11 days later to check compliance. The investigation also found the employer had previously received prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Provide effective separation between pedestrians and vehicles. Organise vehicle and pedestrian movement so people do not have to use shared routes, and ensure designated pedestrian routes and crossing points are actually implemented and effective.

Keep traffic plans visible and up to date. A traffic plan is only useful if staff and visitors can see and follow it, and it must reflect the current site layout and key pedestrian movements.

Control risks from stockpiling heavy equipment. Where loads such as skips are stored at height, consider stability, condition, and the consequences of collapse, and avoid placing unstable stacks where workers can be struck if they fail.

Act promptly on enforcement and repeated failures. When improvement notices are issued, corrective action must be completed within the required timescale, particularly where enforcement history indicates the same duty holders and risks are repeating.

Assess site circulation arrangements, not just paperwork. Inspectors found that planned controls did not match what was happening on the ground, including vehicle movements and pedestrian access, so site arrangements need to be checked and verified.

HSE Prosecution Link