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

Brief Summary

HSE investigation found multiple health and safety failures at a waste and recycling site, including skips stockpiled three high in areas used by workers and ineffective segregation of pedestrians from vehicles, placing people at risk of death or serious injury.

What Was The Incident?

During an HSE inspection on 11 August 2022, inspectors observed vehicles moving around the site with no effective segregation between vehicles and pedestrians. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, forcing pedestrians to use the vehicle route used by lorries and other vehicles. Although the company had a visual traffic plan, it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely, with some deformed skips, and a three high stack in places. The stacking increased the likelihood of collapse or falling, and skips were located in an area regularly accessed by workers on foot and in vehicles.

What Was The Outcome?

The company pleaded guilty to two offences under s33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 in costs. Further enforcement had already taken place, including prohibition notices served in 2019 relating to stockpiling and risks of collapse, and improvement notices were served following the August 2022 inspection.

Key Points To Consider

Create real separation between vehicles and pedestrians. Ensure pedestrians have designated safe routes and crossing points, and do not force people to use vehicle routes simply because entrances are restricted or blocked.

Keep traffic management controls current and visible. A traffic plan only helps if it is visible to everyone on site and updated when the site layout or movement patterns change, including key pedestrian movements.

Prevent collapse risks from how skips are stored. Do not stockpile large waste containers in unstable ways. Account for weight, condition such as deformation, and stacking height where collapse or falling could have catastrophic consequences.

Control hazards in areas where people regularly access. Avoid placing unstable loads in zones that workers routinely use on foot or where vehicles operate, as this directly increases the likelihood of people being struck by falling objects.

Respond effectively to prior enforcement and improvement notices. If enforcement action has already highlighted failures, treat it as a clear warning to reassess arrangements promptly, implement corrective actions within required timescales, and ensure controls work in practice.

HSE Prosecution Link