A waste and recycling company has been fined £400,000 after an employee was seriously injured after being struck by a moving vehicle at its site in Basildon.
The 22-year-old site operative suffered life-threatening injuries when she was struck by a mobile shredder while accessing the tipping yard in 2023.
She became trapped between a gate post and the shredder and has suffered life-changing injuries as a result of the incident.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had not managed the movement of pedestrians and vehicles at the site.
The HSE said it became ‘custom and practice’ for pedestrians on site to walk close to moving vehicles, including the shredder, as well as lorries and forklift trucks.
Clearaway Recycling Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,259.
The waste and recycling industry saw 24 workers killed during 2025/26, which means fatalities are ten times as likely compared to the all-industry average when compared over a five-year period.
Commenting on the sentencing, HSE inspector Joanne Williams said: “The waste and recycling sector continues to be one of the leading industries for workplace injuries and fatalities.”
“One of the reasons is the risks from vehicle and pedestrian collisions are well known, yet serious incidents continue to occur. In this case, a young woman was left with significant and life-changing injuries.”
“Where pedestrians require access to working areas, safeguards must be in place to protect them, including providing adequate segregation or separation distances between pedestrians and vehicles in the area.”
