Biffa fined almost £2.5 million after worker fatality
Sorting line operative crushed by reversing skip wagon at Bradford waste-transfer station
BIFFA Waste Services Ltd have been fined £2.48 million after a worker was run over by a reversing skip wagon at the company’s waste-transfer station in Bradford.
On 10 August 2023, while making his way to the site office across the weighbridge, 57-year-old sorting line operative James Tabiri was struck from behind by a reversing skip wagon. The impact caused him to fall, and he died from crush injuries from the rear wheels.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Biffa Waste Services failed to effectively review and monitor the control measures in place to protect pedestrians and keep them separate from vehicle movements.
CCTV footage from the week before the incident showed that it was common practice for people on site to bypass segregated pedestrian routes, with some seen climbing over barriers that were intended to keep them safe.
Biffa Waste Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The company was fined £2.48 million and ordered to pay full costs of £5,768.06 at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 15 October 2025.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: ‘This incident was easily avoidable. Control 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.
‘Our investigation found a casual attitude to health and safety with workers treating a high-hazard site like a playground.
‘Nearly a quarter of all deaths involving workplace transport occur during reversing manoeuvres.
‘This tragic incident should be a reminder to the waste industry not to become complacent with the risks workplace transport poses, and that even where control measures are in place to segregate pedestrians and vehicles, robust monitoring and supervision of their correct usage need to be in place.’
