Waste management company fined £2.48 million after fatal injury to worker

A waste management company has been convicted of a serious health and safety breach and fined £2.48 million by Leeds Magistrates Court after a worker was fatally run over by a reversing skip wagon at a waste transfer station in Bradford.

The employee was working as a sort line operative whilst making their way to the site office across a weighbridge when they were struck from behind by a reversing skip wagon. The impact caused the employee to fall and as a result they died from crush injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to effectively review and monitor the control measures in place designed to keep pedestrians separate from vehicle movements. CCTV footage from the week prior to the incident showed that it was common practice for people on site to bypass the segregated pedestrian routes.

The company had control measures in place, but they had not been adhered to. Segregation of pedestrians and vehicles in the workplace is an increasing concern in high-risk environments. Clear delineation and signage, as well as monitoring the effectiveness, is fundamental.