Why this case matters

A recent HSE prosecution has highlighted a risk that exists across many operational sites: poor site control.

HSE reported that a waste and recycling company in South East London was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs after inspectors found multiple failures at its site. Skips were stacked three high in places, vehicles were moving freely around the yard, and pedestrians were forced to use a route also used by lorries and other vehicles.

HSE described the potential consequences of skip collapse as “potentially catastrophic” and said the company had put workers and other people on site at risk of death or serious injury.

This case is not only about waste and recycling.

It is about any site where vehicles, pedestrians, stored materials, contractors, agency workers and operational pressure meet in the same space.

That includes warehouses, logistics sites, construction yards, FM estates, manufacturing sites, depots, local authority sites and contractor compounds.

The practical message is simple:

If vehicles, pedestrians and unstable materials share the same space without clear controls, serious injury can happen quickly.

What went wrong?

According to HSE, inspectors visited the site in August 2022 and found various vehicles, including tipper lorries and loading shovels, being driven freely around the site. The pedestrian entrance was chained and padlocked, so pedestrians had to use the vehicle entrance route. HSE also found no effective segregation using designated pedestrian routes or crossing points.

The company did have a visual traffic plan, but HSE said it was not visible to staff or visitors and was out of date because the site layout had changed. It also failed to address important pedestrian movements, including access across the yard to toilets.

Inspectors also found skips stacked unsafely. Some were deformed, which increased instability. The skips were stacked in areas regularly accessed by workers on foot or in vehicles.

This is the pattern that organisations must learn from.

The failure was not one missing sign or one bad decision. It was a breakdown in site layout, transport planning, supervision, storage controls and evidence.

Who is affected?

SMEs

Small businesses often operate from busy yards where space is limited and work changes daily.

That makes clear routes, safe storage, supervision and daily checks essential.

SMEs should never assume “everyone knows the yard”. If a visitor, agency worker or new starter cannot understand the safe route within seconds, the system is not clear enough.

Medium Businesses

Medium-sized businesses often grow faster than their site controls.

As operations expand, old traffic plans, old storage layouts and informal routines quickly become unsafe.

A medium-sized organisation should review site layout whenever operations change, new vehicles are introduced, storage volumes increase, or different contractors start using the same space.

Large Businesses

Large organisations need consistency across sites.

One depot may have good controls, while another relies on outdated drawings, worn markings and verbal instructions.

Large organisations should use internal audits, site inspections and digital action tracking to make sure standards are applied properly across every location.

Multinationals

Multinationals carry wider risk because one site incident can affect insurance, ESG reporting, brand trust and group-level governance.

They need evidence that site safety controls, transport routes, contractor rules and storage arrangements are being checked regularly and closed out properly.

Contractors

Contractors often enter sites they do not control.

Before starting work, they should ask:

• Where should workers walk?
• Where do vehicles operate?
• Where are exclusion zones?
• Where are materials stored?
• Who is supervising the work?
• What happens if the site layout changes?

Contractors should not rely on assumptions when working around moving vehicles or unstable stored materials.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are often most exposed because they may be unfamiliar with the site.

They need proper induction, clear route maps, visible signage, task-specific RAMS and the authority to stop work if traffic or storage conditions become unsafe.

Public Sector Bodies

Public sector buyers and local authorities often procure waste, recycling, FM, logistics and site services.

They should ensure suppliers can evidence safe systems, site audits, traffic management controls, training, supervision and action close-out.

For public bodies, this is not just about supplier performance. It is about public accountability.

Practical Actions Businesses Should Take Now

1. Review site traffic plans

Make sure the traffic plan reflects the current layout, not an old version of the site. If the site has changed, the plan must change too.

2. Separate pedestrians and vehicles

HSE guidance highlights the importance of keeping traffic routes safe and separating people from vehicles in the workplace.

3. Check storage and stacking controls

Skips, pallets, materials and containers must be stored safely. If items are deformed, unstable or stacked too high, they should be removed or reorganised.

4. Make safe routes visible

Pedestrian routes, crossing points and exclusion zones should be obvious to staff, visitors, agency workers and contractors.

5. Audit the real site, not the folder

Do not only check whether a traffic plan exists. Check whether it is visible, current and actually followed.

6. Review welfare access routes

If people have to cross vehicle routes to reach toilets, rest areas or welfare facilities, this must be assessed and controlled.

7. Record actions and close them

Any gap found during inspections should be logged, assigned to an owner and closed with evidence.

How TPMG Can Help

TPMG helps organisations move from informal site routines to structured, evidence-led control.

Relevant TPMG services include:

• Workplace transport safety reviews
• Waste and recycling site safety audits
• ISO 45001 internal audits
• Contractor and subcontractor assurance
• RAMS and safe system reviews
• Site traffic management reviews
• Operational assurance visits
• Incident prevention and corrective action planning
• Digital dashboards for inspections, actions and evidence
• Public-sector supplier assurance
• FM mobilisation and contract management support

This also connects directly to TPMG FM’s approach to structured mobilisation, visible supervision, KPI checks and reporting – making performance easy to evidence, not just promise.

TPMG’s role is simple: we help organisations identify the gaps before HSE, insurers, clients or incidents expose them.

Need confidence that your site traffic routes, storage areas, contractor controls and safety checks are strong enough?

Speak to TPMG about workplace transport reviews, ISO 45001 internal audits, operational assurance, RAMS, contractor compliance or waste and recycling site safety support.