Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Vehicle Pedestrian Separation

Brief Summary

HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas workers regularly used and poor segregation of pedestrians and vehicles. The employer had previously been subject to enforcement action for similar risks, making the case a clear reminder that legal duties must be addressed and maintained.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles operating around the yard with no effective segregation between pedestrians and vehicle routes. The pedestrian entrance was locked, forcing pedestrians to use the same route as lorries and other vehicles, without designated pedestrian routes or crossing points. The company also had a visual traffic plan that was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors further found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed skips and stacks up to three high in places. The risk of collapse was described as potentially catastrophic, and the skips were located in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to two offences for failing to fulfil duties to protect people on site from risk of death or serious personal injury. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE had served improvement notices and also revisited the site after receiving the initial concerns. The case included the fact that the business had previously received prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and the risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Ensure there are clear, working arrangements for pedestrians to move safely without relying on vehicle routes, including designated pedestrian routes and crossing points where needed.

Keep traffic management plans current and communicated. A traffic plan is only useful if it is visible to those on site and reflects the actual site layout, including key pedestrian movements such as access to welfare facilities.

Control skip storage to prevent collapse and falling objects. Do not allow unsafe stacking such as deformed skips or excessive stacking heights, and assess the likelihood of collapse given the size, weight, and condition of the skips.

Manage site access so workers are not exposed to stored hazards. Avoid locating stacked skips in areas regularly accessed by workers, whether on foot or in vehicles, and ensure safe separation between storage and routes people must use.

Act on previous enforcement and legal duties without delay. Where enforcement action has already identified similar failures, treat the legal duties as ongoing requirements, not one off fixes, and verify improvements remain effective after site changes.

HSE Prosecution Link