A waste management company has been fined nearly £2.5 million after a worker was fatally crushed by a reversing skip wagon at a waste transfer site.
James Tabiri, 57, was struck from behind while walking across the weighbridge at Biffa Waste Services Ltd’s site in Bradford on 10 August 2023. He died at the scene from crush injuries caused by the vehicle’s rear wheels.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that while pedestrian routes existed on site, they were routinely bypassed. CCTV footage from the week before the incident showed people climbing over safety barriers intended to protect them from vehicle movements.
A court heard that Biffa failed to properly monitor or enforce its own traffic control measures. The company, which is based in High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law and was fined £2.48 million, with full costs of £5,768.06 awarded at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 15 October 2025.
HSE inspector Elliot Archer described the incident as “easily avoidable, saying that “[c]ontrol measures were in place to allow pedestrians and vehicles to move safely, but a lack of monitoring and supervision allowed poor working practices to develop between the workers on site”.
He added that “[n]early a quarter of all deaths involving workplace transport occur during reversing manoeuvres.”
The watchdog warned against complacency in managing traffic risks, noting that the presence of barriers or designated walkways is not enough if usage is not actively supervised.
Construction Company Fined £1 Million After Roadworker Killed
In a separate case, a road resurfacing contractor was fined £1 million after an employee was struck and killed by a reversing road sweeper.
Robert Morris, 48, was working for Marlborough Highways Limited during resurfacing works on Pemberton Road in Haringey when he was fatally injured on 30 May 2022.
The HSE found that there was no segregation between vehicles and pedestrians on site, and a banksman was not used when the road sweeper reversed. The investigation also identified failings in the site’s traffic management systems, which placed both workers and members of the public at risk.
The company pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £1 million with costs of £6,028 at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 3 October 2025.
A separate prosecution brought by the Crown Prosecution Service resulted in the driver receiving a six-month suspended sentence and a one-year driving ban.
HSE principal inspector James Goldfinch said Morris’s death had devastated his family.
“Robert was entitled to return home safely from work to his family but the lack of segregation of vehicles and pedestrians by Marlborough Highways Limited meant he did not,” he said.
“This was a case where appropriate controls had been identified but were not being implemented on site.”
Two Firms Fined After Worker Falls Through Fragile Roof
Elsewhere, two companies were fined more than £95,000 in total after a man fell through a fragile rooflight while working at a factory in Keighley.
The worker, who was carrying out over-cladding work on an asbestos cement roof, stepped onto the rooflight and fell through, impaling his leg on machinery below. He was rescued by firefighters and sustained serious leg injuries, though he narrowly avoided striking a colleague operating the machinery.
The HSE found that the work had not been properly planned or supervised. Principal contractor A.T. Lee Properties Limited and subcontractor LJH Property Limited both failed to implement effective controls to prevent falls or provide the right equipment for safe working at height.
Both firms pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety law. A.T. Lee Properties was fined £47,783 and LJH Property £47,818. Directors from both companies were given two-year conditional discharges and ordered to pay costs.
HSE principal inspector Paul Thompson said the outcome could have been far worse.
“Had the man landed just a short distance either side of where he was impaled, this could have been a wholly different outcome,” he said.
Employers Urged to Reinforce Core Safety Measures
The three prosecutions have renewed focus on critical safety failings that continue to result in death or serious injury.
In the transport-related cases, investigators pointed to a failure to implement or supervise known control measures, particularly the segregation of vehicles and pedestrians, use of banksmen and enforcement of traffic management plans.
HSE guidance advises that reversing vehicles pose a significant risk and should be eliminated or minimised wherever possible, with one-way systems, turning circles and visibility aids considered in design stages.
The fall from height case highlighted ongoing failures in planning and supervision, with work carried out on fragile surfaces without adequate controls. Working at height remains the leading cause of workplace fatalities.
In all three cases, the HSE said the incidents were preventable had employers followed basic legal duties to plan, manage and monitor risks properly.
Comprehensive guidance is available on both vehicle safety and working at height through HSE’s online resources.