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PHW · Waste and recycling · 2026-09-01

PPS Metal Recycling Ltd fined £40,000 after workers were struck by falling scrap metal from an unstable stockpile

Scunthorpe · Grimsby Magistrates' Court

What happened

A father and son unloading scrap metal were struck by falling metal pieces when a 360-degree excavator with a grab attachment removed material from an unstable nearby stockpile. This followed an earlier near miss when the same excavator's rotating cab struck a member of the public's vehicle.

Injuries: hospitalised, one sustained a broken leg

The breach

Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The sentence

  • Fine: £40,000
  • Costs: £6,181
  • Other sentence: Prohibition Notice served preventing excavator operation near pedestrians
HSE inspector

“These two members of the public were fortunate not to have been even more seriously injured or killed. This incident was entirely avoidable.”

What would have prevented it

Excavator work near members of the public must keep pedestrians and unstable stockpiles well clear of the machine's working radius.

How PHW helps

The machines, packs and quizzes that fit this kind of site.

Sector

Training and evidence for waste and recycling sites

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Safety pack

Working at height

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Safety pack

Vehicle marshal (banksman and reversing)

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Machine

360 excavator

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Quiz

Could you show, in writing, that every excavator or loading shovel operator is authorised for that machine?

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Source: HSE press release, Scrap yard fined after father and son injured by collapsing metal pile