ASM Metal Recycling has been fined £650,000 after a routine inspection by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The recycling firm, which operates multiple metal recycling sites, failed to implement effective control measures to protect workers which led to enforcement action from the HSE.
HSE inspector, Emma Page, visited the site and observed various issues including a failure to segregate moving vehicles from pedestrians as waste was being manually sorted amongst other dangerous working practices.
Videos were taken during the visit, showing three pedestrian workers wearing yellow hi-vis sleeveless jackets, sorting waste in the yard in close proximity to three 360 grab excavators operating behind them. As they continue to hand-sort the waste, a red HGV skip lorry pulls forwards and reverses towards and passed them. At this point, two of the workers have their backs towards the still reversing HGV. The footage clearly reveals there are no measures, such as barriers, to prevent the reversing vehicle coming into contact with, and causing injury, or worse, to the workers.
Previously, ASM Metal Recycling Ltd recognised risks to pedestrian-vehicle collision but no effective control measures were implemented to stop this. This left pedestrians at risk of being struck by vehicles.
Several enforcement notices had already been received by the company in the past, including in 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018. Notification of Contravention letters had also been sent to the company in 2021 and 2023.
ASM Metal Recycling Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £650,000 and ordered to pay £5,885 costs at a hearing at Oxford Magistrates Court on 22 October 2024.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Emma Page said: "The scrap and metal recycling industry has consistently had a poor fatal incident rate for many years.
"The most serious risk associated with manually sorting waste is a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian. On average, there are around five fatalities each year in the waste industry, with nearly half of these relating to being struck by a moving vehicle.
"Incidents happen because working practices have failed to achieve effective segregation of moving vehicles from pedestrians. During my inspection it was clear that this was the case at ASM Metal Recycling's Griffin Lane premises in Aylesbury, and the fact we had previously identified these areas of concern but they were not acted upon resulted in HSE's prosecution of the company."
For more information see, the:
