High Wycombe waste firm fined £2.48 million after worker killed by reversing skip wagon in Bradford
The man died from crush injuries after being run over by the rear wheels
A High Wycombe based waste management company has been fined £2.48 million after a 57-year-old man was killed by a reversing skip wagon at a waste transfer station in Bradford.
James Tabiri was hit from behind on 10th August 2023 as he crossed the weighbridge towards the site office.
He was knocked to the ground by the vehicle and died from crush injuries after being run over by the rear wheels.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Biffa Waste Services Ltd did not effectively review or monitor safety procedures in place to protect people on foot and keep them separated from vehicle movements at the site.
According to the HSE, CCTV footage from the week before the fatal incident showed it was a regular occurrence for people to take shortcuts, bypassing designated pedestrian routes and even climbing over safety barriers meant to protect them.
Investigators said there was a lack of monitoring and supervision which allowed unsafe working practices to develop.
Employers are required by law to make sure traffic routes can be used safely, without putting their workforce at risk.
Biffa Waste Services Ltd, based at Coronation Road, Cressex, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, admitted breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Leeds Magistrates’ Court imposed a £2.48 million fine and ordered the company to pay costs of £5,768.06 on 15th October 2025.
Speaking after 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.”