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Yards, car parks, and loading areas are among the most legally exposed parts of any commercial or industrial site
Two UK businesses were fined a combined £1.26 million following yard incidents that investigators said were entirely preventable.
The law is clear on your obligations. This article sets out what they are, what the consequences of inaction look like, and what a practical response looks like for operations and facilities managers.
Problem Guide: Compliance, audits and insurance pressures
- HSE audits are increasing across logistics, recycling, and manufacturing sites
- Insurance providers are tightening requirements around yard condition and compliance documentation
- Failing an audit or inspection can trigger operational shutdowns, not just fines
What the law requires
As an employer or business owner, you have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the safety of employees and visitors across your entire premises, including all external areas. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 make this explicit: yards, loading bays, walkways, car parks, and access routes must be maintained and kept free of hazards.
This is not a grey area. External areas are not excluded from your duty of care because they are outside. If someone is injured on your yard and the HSE finds that surfaces were poorly maintained, drainage was blocked, or pedestrian routes were unclear, you are exposed to prosecution, civil claims, and improvement notices regardless of how long the issue had been present.
What the data shows
According to the HSE, 138 workers and 87 members of the public were killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24. A significant proportion of these incidents occurred outside, in yards, car parks, and loading areas. Slips, trips, and falls account for 32% of all non-fatal injuries. In waste and recycling, being struck by a moving vehicle accounts for 52% of deaths. The fatality rate in that sector is 9.1 times higher than the national average.
These are not fringe cases. They are the most common type of serious incident on commercial and industrial sites, and the majority involve conditions that had been deteriorating for months or years before the incident occurred.
What the fines look like in practice
FloPlast Limited was fined £400,000 after a worker was seriously injured by a forklift truck. The HSE investigation found no pedestrian walkways, no visibility checks on vehicles, and no compliance monitoring in place. Hawkins Logistics was fined £866,000 following a fatal yard accident. Investigators described a poor safety culture and a failure to address known risks.
Between those two cases alone, the combined cost was over £1.26 million in fines, before accounting for legal costs, compensation claims, operational disruption, and reputational damage. Both incidents were assessed by investigators as preventable.
What good looks like on a well-managed site
Most of the sites that avoid serious incidents are not doing anything complicated. They have defined pedestrian walkways that are clearly marked and physically separated from vehicle routes where possible. They run one-way traffic systems for HGVs and forklifts. They carry out regular surface inspections and action repairs before defects become hazards. They have adequate drainage so that standing water does not create icy patches in winter or slip hazards year-round. They have lighting across the yard, particularly in areas used during early mornings, evenings, or through the night. And they log what they find and what they do about it.
That last point matters more than most people realise. Documentation is what separates a business that can demonstrate due diligence from one that cannot when an inspector or a court asks what was known and when.
A case study in delay
A large distribution yard near Gatwick was surveyed by the PKB Civils team around a year ago. A full assessment was carried out covering concrete repairs, drainage, walkways, and car park surfacing. A phased plan was put together so the business could address the issues gradually without disrupting operations.
Nothing was actioned.
Twelve months later, following a visit from the company’s own health and safety team, the same issues have worsened considerably. Drains are now blocked. Surface cracks have spread. What was previously a maintenance issue is now a compliance concern. Rather than implementing the original phased plan, the site manager has requested a series of smaller reactive fixes to satisfy the immediate audit.
The problem with that approach is that patchwork repairs address symptoms rather than causes. Every new joint or edge becomes a point of weakness. Drainage that is not properly resolved continues to accelerate surface deterioration. The cost of the reactive fixes will exceed what the phased plan would have cost, and the underlying risks remain.
The cost of doing nothing
If a hazard is identified and not addressed, the legal exposure increases rather than stays the same. An HSE inspector who finds an issue that was logged but not acted on is in a stronger position to pursue enforcement action than one who finds an issue that was genuinely unknown. Doing nothing is not a neutral position. It is an active choice that increases liability over time.
Beyond the legal consequences, the operational costs compound. An injury on site triggers an investigation that disrupts operations. A serious incident can result in a prohibition notice that closes part or all of the site. Insurance complications follow. Contracts can be lost. The cost of inaction is almost always higher than the cost of the original repair.
Where to start if your yard has known issues
Walk the yard with fresh eyes once a month. Ask whether you would feel confident walking a client or an inspector around it. Keep a simple hazard log covering surface condition, drainage, lighting, signage, and pedestrian segregation. Note what you find, when you found it, and what action was taken. Review traffic routes and identify any points where forklifts or HGVs cross pedestrian paths. Plan works around your quieter operational periods rather than waiting until a peak period forces a reactive fix.
If the issues are already significant, a structured site survey will give you a clear picture of what needs to be addressed in what order, and a phased plan that keeps your site operational throughout the works.
FAQ's
Have known issues on your site?
Send your brief and we can give you a clear picture of what needs addressing, in what order, and how it can be done without disrupting your operations.
