Substantial Fine after Council worker crushed at London waste facility

An Enfield Council employee, was working at the London Energy Ltd transfer station in Edmonton, London, on 13th May 2022 when a shovel loader reversed into him. The 58-year-old had been closing the tailgate on his tractor after tipping waste into a nearby bay, when the vehicle reversed without realizing he was there and crushed him between both vehicles. He sustained very serious injuries.

The company was undergoing major construction work and the area where the incident occurred was a temporary unit. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the work was not suitably risk assessed and appropriate control measures were not implemented.

The investigation also found the company had also failed to implement suitable controls to segregate pedestrians and vehicles for which detailed guidance is available. Where vehicles and pedestrians share a traffic route there must be enough separation between them. This can normally be achieved through the use of physical barriers and safe systems of work.

London Energy Ltd of Ecopark, Advent Way, Edmonton, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £5,573 in costs at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 27 June 2025.

Forbes Comment:

From my own experience of representing a public sector client when a driver of a reversing refuse vehicle faced criminal charges and the council faced scrutiny at an inquest and faced a subsequent civil claim ,  reversing refuse vehicles pose a high risk activity with the need to ensure that suitable and adequate control measures are implemented.  Recently published HSE statistics for 2024/25, note that there had been 14 fatal accidents arising from being struck by a moving vehicle.  In addition, the waste and recycling industry accounted for 3 fatal deaths in the 2024/25 period.   There is no doubt that there has been a better adherence to HSE guidance over the years by organisations to minimise and reduce the risk of harm within the industry.  However,  “the key to reducing transport accidents in these environments is to ensure there is adequate segregation between pedestrians and moving transport/plant,” in addition to many other safe operating control measures that could be implemented.