Retail Safety In 2005/06 the retail industry reported 13,000 work related accidents. Over 2000 of these accidents were classified as major injuries such as fractures. However the most common types of reported accidents were
Slips and trips in retail Slips and trips are the highest cause of injury in retail, in 2005/06 there were 1012 major injuries reported to the HSE. Half of those accidents happened in supermarkets and food stores. Sales assistants were found to be most at risk. In retail, more slips happen than trips and they are mainly due to:
Remember - a wet floor sign does not constitute as a defence if a customer or staff member was to slip over. The wet floor sign is a form of warning not a control measure, therefore you would have to cordon off the area until the floor is dry. By implimenting this control measure would be deemed as being 'resonable' under both civil and health and safety law. Manual Handling Back disorders are the most common form of ill health disorders at work - prevention and management are key and the retail sector is no exception, due to the amount of stock that requires moving either in a stockroom or on the sales floor. Without proper training and safe systems of work, retail staff will always be high on the number of employees reporting injuries due to poor manual handling techniques. Falls from Height Retail staff are vulnerable to falling from height when reaching for stock or merchandise from high shelving. This is due to staff not using the correct piece of access equipment to carry out the task safely. This is a common management failure by firstly not assessing the task, using the most appropriate piece of equipment and importantly not supervising the person using it correctly.
Customers Finally don't forget your customers! see case studies. Floor space is premium and more and more retailers are filling up the floor space with special offers, bargain bins etc. but we know that there is a claims culture, so don't give you customer the opportunity to slip, trip and fall and then claim compensation from you. Also, don't rely on the yellow 'slippery floor' sign when you have a spillage as this will not be a good enough defence in a civil court. Either clean it up immediately or barrier it off which demonstrates you have done everything reasonable to prevent an accident occurring. So, if your are still unsure about your legal duties as a retailer and you require free advice either by phone or email then go to the contacts page and we will reply upon receipt of your enquiry.
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