In two immediate prohibition notices from the HSE in February 2023 which were published online this month by the HSE, the regulator said the council had “failed to ensure the safety at work of your employees…as pedestrians are exposed to risks from damaged and unstable concrete walls in your waste transfer building.”
This was in relation to concrete walls at the Waste Transfer station at the council’s Chelson Meadow waste site. The site also houses a household waste and recycling centre nearby.
We take the safety of all our staff and customers very seriously
- Plymouth city council
Operations
In a statement given to letsrecycle.com, a council spokesperson said that the breaches related to the commercial wate portion of the transfer station, which now operates as normal because the walls have been removed.
The spokesperson said: “These walls were subject to a safety inspection 12 months ago and any walls considered a risk at that time were removed. The HSE notice was issued to highlight the potential risk of the remaining walls in the future. We have removed the walls. This means that the Prohibition Notice requirements have been met. Work is already underway to replace the remaining walls and we are midway through a procurement process to ensure their replacement. The commercial waste operations continue to operate now the walls have been removed.”
The council added that it takes the safety of all its staff and customers very seriously, and added that the prohibition notice issued by the HSE in February” is not regarding our working practices.”
The entrance to the site can be seen on Google Maps below, though it is unclear if the walls in question are visible from the entrance.
Notice
The HSE says on its website that an immediate prohibition notice is only issued when there is risk of serious personal injury or activities subject to the relevant statutory provisions likely to be carried out.
It adds that there “can be no suspension of notice unless the Industrial Tribunal rules accordingly”.
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