Recent prosecutions – waste company fined over vehicle crushing incident

A waste management and skip hire company has been fined more than £185,000 following an accident involving a worker and a reversing vehicle. A lorry driver was hit by a reversing loading shovel and sustained life-changing injuries, including pelvic fractures and a crushed bowel.

An HSE investigation found that the system of work to control transport risks was not fully adequate and not monitored. The business was found guilty of breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were ordered to pay £180,000 in fines and £5,856 in court costs.

Transport risk management

This prosecution demonstrates the need to segregate safe working areas for employees and to ensure that drivers travel with unrestricted visibility. Basic safety controls include:

• Assess where vehicles reverse on your site and consider if a one-way system could eliminate the need.
• If reversing is unavoidable, use effective controls – reversing alarms, flashing lights and motion sensors.
• If you have pedestrian routes that step into traffic movement, ensure suitable signage and barriers are in place.
• Consider using trained signallers (or banksmen) to guide drivers.
• Minimise the interaction between pedestrians and vehicles wherever possible.