Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stacking and Poor Site Traffic Control

Brief Summary

HSE enforcement found multiple health and safety failings at a waste and recycling site, including ineffective segregation of pedestrians and vehicles, a traffic plan that was not available to staff or visitors, and skips stockpiled three high in areas that workers regularly accessed. The employer was also previously subject to enforcement action about stockpiling and collapse risk, and pleaded guilty to two offences.

What Was The Incident?

HSE visited the site in August 2022 and observed tipper lorries and loading shovels being driven around the yard, with pedestrian access restricted by a chained and padlocked entrance. Pedestrians were forced to use the vehicle entrance route, without designated pedestrian routes or crossing points to provide effective segregation. The employer had a visual traffic plan, but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because site layout changes were not reflected. Inspectors also found skips dangerously stacked, including some deformed skips, creating instability. In places the skips were stacked three high, and they were positioned in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles, increasing the likelihood of skips falling.

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 risk of death and serious personal injury. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Ensure pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely, with designated pedestrian routes and crossing points rather than relying on shared vehicle routes.

Keep traffic management plans visible and current. A traffic plan must be accessible to staff and visitors and updated when site layout or traffic patterns change, so it reflects real pedestrian movements.

Control reversing and movement of large vehicles. Where large vehicles need to reverse or manoeuvre, employers must assess the risks and implement additional precautions to protect people working nearby.

Do not stockpile skips in unstable ways. Manage skip storage so stacks are not at risk of collapse, including taking account of skip condition such as deformation and the increased risk that comes with greater stacking heights.

Act promptly on improvement notices and prior enforcement. If you have received enforcement action before, treat subsequent breaches as especially serious and ensure corrective actions are implemented within required timescales.

HSE Prosecution Link