7 Skip Hire Safety Tips

We’ve supplied skips of all sizes to many residential customers, small and medium-sized builders, and major construction companies since establishing Proskips in 2009, and we’re proud of our safety record.

Safety should be a key consideration for anyone residential customer, builder, or construction company who needs to hire a skip. But to maintain the safety of our customers, particularly residential clients who may lack the training and supervision present on commercial sites, here’s our top (seven) skip hire safety tips to protect you and your family from mishap or injury.

1. Before the skip arrives…

Make sure the area the skip is to be placed in is clear of rubbish and obstacles. It must be a flat, stable area with easy access for the driver of the skip hire pick-up vehicle to drop off and collect the skip. The ground needs to be hard enough to ensure the skip will not sink into it. An empty skip is already heavy, and its weight will increase as you load it, so avoid placing it on wet, soggy earth.

Also make sure that any cars are moved and parked away from where the skip is intended to sit. A clear path will make it easier for the delivery driver to offload the skip, and you won’t run the risk of any cars being scratched in the process.

2. Delivery day…

When your skip arrives, keep pets and young children inside the property. Give clear instructions to the driver regarding where you want the skip positioned and then make sure everyone else keeps well out of the way of the skip lorry as it reverses in.

Please note, if the skip is to be placed on a public road, you will require a skip permit. We can help to organise a skip permit for you, but this must be done in advance of the skip being delivered to your property. You will not need a permit if the skip is to be placed on private property.

3. What else do you need?

Once the skip is in place, you need to make sure that everything the skip needs is also in place. For example, does it need to be fitted with hazard lights? As well as a permit, if the skip is being positioned on a public road then you may need to arrange for extra safety equipment.

4. After delivery…

Once the skip has been put in position, don’t try and move it. This could damage both the skip and your property, or even a neighbouring residence. It could also make the skip inaccessible when the time comes for collection.

5. Loading advice…

When filling a skip, it is best to place the heavy items in first and put lighter materials on top. This can help you avoid what we call ‘subsidence’ – the unexpected settling of the contents – which could present a safety hazard with materials moving unexpectedly.

When lifting heavy items, make sure you follow correct manual handling procedure: bend at the knees, lift with your legs, and keep your back straight. Make sure you take all necessary precautions, as you don’t want to sustain a back injury. If you can’t comfortably lift something by yourself, get some help.

6. Hazardous waste?

Leave it out. The law prohibits you from putting any form of hazardous waste in a skip. The list of banned items includes solvents, batteries, aerosols, waste oils or any liquid, paints or plasterboard.

It’s important to remember that not all materials can be placed in a skip. Hazardous waste will need to be disposed of by other means. There are also some items which need to be disposed of separately, like plasterboard. If you’re not sure what can and can’t be put in the skip, we’re more than happy to offer guidance.

7. Don’t pass the ‘full’ line…

Whatever you put in your skip, it must not be filled past the top of the sides. Overloading a skip is a safety hazard, and it is illegal to remove an overloaded skip. This stops anything from falling from the skip and causing chaos on the roads when our drivers take it away from your property.

If you find domestic skips are filling up too fast, you might want to look to a commercial builder’s skip to take a larger amount of waste on bigger projects. It might be a bigger investment, but it can be much more convenient than having an endless string of smaller skips brought to your property and collected again.

We’ve also written about the risks of overloading a skip, which should prove useful to you alongside these skip hire safety tips.

Our team of at Proskips are happy to offer advice on any aspect of skip hire. If you’ve got a question or would like to hire a skip, contact us today.

If you would like to hire a skip in Croydon, South Croydon, Sutton, Wimbledon, Clapham, Wandsworth or Streatham, get in touch with us today.