Waste company fined £400,000 after employee suffered life changing injuries

A waste and recycling company has been fined £400,000 after a 22-year-old employee suffered life-changing injuries when she was struck and crushed by a mobile shredder at the company’s Basildon site in October 2024. The worker became trapped between the shredder and a gate post, sustaining life-threatening injuries.

An HSE investigation found that the company had failed to properly manage vehicle and pedestrian movements on site. As a result, it had become routine for employees to walk in close proximity to moving vehicles, including shredders, lorries and forklift trucks, exposing them to significant risk.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £10,259 in costs. HSE highlighted that vehicle and pedestrian collisions remain a well-known risk in the waste and recycling sector and stressed the importance of effective segregation and safety controls.

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