Waste Company Fined for Unsafe Skip Stockpiling and Poor Traffic Control

Brief Summary

The HSE found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stacked up to three high in areas used by workers and a lack of effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The enforcement outcome included a fine and costs, with the case highlighting how prior enforcement history increases the seriousness of the failures.

What Was The Incident?

HSE inspectors visited the site and observed tipper lorries and loading shovels moving around freely. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route. There were no effective pedestrian routes or crossing points, despite legal requirements to organise workplaces so pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely. Although a visual traffic plan existed, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed, so it did not cover key pedestrian movements, including access across the yard to toilets. Inspectors also found skips unsafely stacked, with some deformed. The stack was three high in places, increasing the risk of collapse or falling, and skips were placed in an area regularly accessed by workers 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. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. The HSE also previously served prohibition notices in 2019 related to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were served following the 2022 inspection requiring action within a specified timescale.

Key Points To Consider

Separate pedestrians and vehicles effectively. Do not rely on pedestrian access being blocked or forced to share vehicle routes. Provide designated pedestrian routes and crossing points so movement around the site is controlled and predictable.

Keep traffic management plans current and visible. A traffic plan is only useful if it is visible to staff and visitors and updated when the site configuration changes, including routes for key movements such as access to welfare facilities.

Control skip stacking to prevent collapse and falling. Stockpiling high, using unstable or deformed containers, and placing them in frequently accessed areas can create unacceptable risks. Ensure stacking arrangements manage instability and falling hazards.

Assess risks in areas workers regularly use. Do not locate hazardous storage in zones routinely accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles. The location of stored items must be considered alongside the storage condition and height.

Act promptly and learn from prior enforcement. Where there has already been enforcement action about stockpiling and collapse risks, repeat failures are particularly serious. Treat improvement notices and the underlying legal duties as non negotiable requirements.

HSE Prosecution Link