Worker Crushed By Mobile Shredder At Waste Site

Brief Summary

A worker suffered life threatening and now life changing injuries after being struck by a mobile shredder at a waste site because the employer did not manage pedestrian and vehicle movements, allowing pedestrians to walk close to moving plant; the case resulted in a substantial fine and confirms the need for clear segregation and traffic management on site.

What Was The Incident?

On 28 October 2023 a 22 year old site operative accessing the tipping yard was trapped between a gate post and a moving mobile shredder and sustained life threatening injuries. An HSE investigation found the employer had not managed pedestrian and vehicle movements, and it had become custom and practice for pedestrians to walk in areas close to moving vehicles including the shredder, lorries and forklift trucks.

What Was The Outcome?

The employer pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,259 at court on 13 August 2026.

Key Points To Consider

Pedestrian and vehicle segregation. Review site layout and traffic management to provide physical separation or adequate separation distances between pedestrians and vehicles; define and maintain clear pedestrian routes to areas such as the tipping yard or provide controlled access where pedestrians must enter vehicle zones.

Address unsafe day to day practice. Audit routines and supervision to identify where unsafe habits have become normal; reinforce procedures with training, visible management action and routine checks so pedestrians are not routinely exposed to moving plant.

Control mobile plant and access to working areas. Assess the risks from mobile shredders and other plant, establish exclusion zones and separation arrangements, use traffic marshals or vehicle controls where needed and eliminate situations where a pedestrian can be trapped against fixed objects.

HSE Prosecution Link