Waste Company Fined After Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Site Segregation

Brief Summary

A waste and recycling company was prosecuted after HSE inspections identified multiple health and safety failures on site, including pedestrian routes being forced into areas used by vehicles and skips being stacked up to three high in places accessible to workers. The employer was previously subject to enforcement for related risks of collapse and stockpiling.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE visit in August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles and other plant being driven around the site without effective segregation from pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was secured, and pedestrians were forced to use a vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. There were no designated pedestrian routes or crossing points to manage safe movements. The employer had a visual traffic plan but it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, including not addressing key pedestrian movements to welfare facilities. Inspectors also found skips that were unsafely stacked, with some deformed skips adding to instability. In some locations skips were stacked three high, increasing the likelihood of collapse or falling. The stacking was in an area regularly accessed by workers either on foot or in vehicles.

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 or serious personal injury. The company was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. HSE also had served improvement notices requiring action within a specified timescale, and enforcement history was noted including prohibition notices in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse.

Key Points To Consider

Segregate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Do not rely on ad hoc walking routes when vehicle movements occur; provide designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so that vehicle and pedestrian traffic are managed safely across the whole site.

Keep site traffic information current and visible. A traffic plan only helps if staff and visitors can see it and if it reflects the current site layout and pedestrian movements, including routes to welfare facilities.

Control stacking arrangements for heavy waste containers. Ensure skips and other stored items are stacked in a stable way, take account of deformation that undermines stability, and avoid placing stockpiles in areas where workers regularly pass on foot or in vehicles.

Assess worst case outcomes for collapse risks. Where collapse could result in death or serious injury, treat the consequences as severe and put in place additional precautions, rather than assuming the risk is low.

Learn from prior enforcement and improve systems. If enforcement action has previously highlighted the same legal duties, address the underlying causes and prevent repeat failures, not just the symptoms identified during inspection.

HSE Prosecution Link