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Kent waste company fined £150,000 for health and safety breaches

By Kris Paterson in UK Business News, posted April 9, 2023

BSP (Knockholt) Limited, a Kent waste company, has been fined £150,000 for multiple health and safety breaches.

The case was heard at City of London Magistrates’ Court, which heard how a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection in August 2020 found employees of BSP (Knockholt) Limited manually sorting through waste in its yard near Orpington were at risk of being struck by heavy machinery moving next to them.

It also found there were inadequate rest facilities for employees to use during break times.

The company was served with two improvement notices in September 2020, and a follow-up inspection in February 2021 found that the company had not complied with either information.

BSP (Knockholt) Limited was found guilty of failing to comply with the improvement notices and fined accordingly at the City of London Magistrates' Court.

It was fined £140,000 for failing to comply with a notice served under regulation 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regarding segregation of vehicles and pedestrians, and £10,000 for a notice served under regulation 25(1) of the same regulations regarding welfare facilities. Costs of £2,459 and a victim surcharge of £190 were also awarded.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Gordon Carson said: “BSP (Knockholt) Limited showed a disregard for the safety and health of its employees by failing to take action, when required by HSE, to ensure they were not at risk of being struck by heavy plant, and provided with adequate and clean welfare facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against duty holders where they have placed their employees at risk and have decided not to comply with enforcement action.