The retail sector in the UK is worth over £350 billion and employs more than three million people, making it the country’s largest private sector.
With so many people employed in retail, you may be surprised to learn that the government has deemed the retail workplace ‘low risk’. This classification is primarily because of the lack of heavy machinery involved in conducting retail business. Yet many of the most commonly reported incidents occur in retail settings in huge numbers. Health and safety in retail industry, as such, may be underprioritized. Fewer heavy or hard-to-handle machines does not necessarily correlate to a lower level of risk for employees. Health and safety in retail stores across the country must be prioritized, but in order to do that the situation must be fully understood.
CHAPTER 1
Top Retail Risks
Given that incidents do occur regularly in retail, the HSE has compiled a comprehensive list of the most common non-fatal incidents to occur within the workplace. While some may surprise you, others certainly should be accounted for in health and safety management.
CHAPTER 2
Slips, trips, and falls
Of all retail incidents reported in 2016 and 2017, the majority were related to a slip, trip, or fall. Often, when the word ‘incident’ comes to mind, we think of objects falling down or the malfunction of machinery. In other words, we do not think to tie these events back to common mistakes. However, human error and simple mistakes still occur – regardless of the setting, profession, industry, or level of training. Slips, trips and falls must be acknowledged as potential risks and accounted for when creating floor layouts. Keeping all floors clean and keeping employees aware of the danger of these simple mistakes is also key. Sometimes awareness can be the most impactful factor.
CHAPTER 3
Workplace Vehicles
Forklift trucks are responsible for around 25% of all retail transport. While not all employees may be operating forklift trucks or other workplace vehicles, they may be present in retail stores connected to or in proximity to warehouses or storage facilities. Proper safety protocol surrounding their use and their presence should be followed by every employee and built in as part of their training. Any employee operating these vehicles, too, should be properly and thoroughly trained on how to use them in the presence of others.
CHAPTER 4
Manual handling
32% of all days lost in 2016 and 2017 were due to injuries from handling, carrying, or lifting. With regular deliveries into stores, manual handling is an inevitable part of retail. But training is key to avoid incidents. Workers should be provided with means for transporting larger loads, such as trolleys or carts. They should also have an established path for transporting the inventory delivered, as to ensure they’re not having to go up and down excessive amounts of stairs or through high-traffic areas. In this sense, sensible workplace management plays a role in health and safety management. Thinking through every aspect of an employee’s day – even down to bringing in new inventory – can decrease the risk they face.
CHAPTER 4
Violence
If a customer experiences product or service dissatisfaction, retail staff are the first to know about it. While your employees are likely trained to handle complaints with composure and empathy, the same cannot be said for every customer to enter your establishment. A customer’s frustration can at times lead to intimidating and threatening behaviour. Occasionally, the customer can even go so far as to incite physical violence.
The threat of violence against retail staff is high, with an average of 115 retail employees attacked at work ever day as of 2019 statistics. The same report also detailed that use of knives is becoming an increasing concern. Sufficient measures need to be taken to reduce this, which can start with properly training your staff. However, staff training alone cannot eradicate the threat of violence. Employees should be knowledgeable about the steps they need to take after a violent encounter to properly report the incident and seek the support they may need from their employer.
