Commercial Safety
The retail sector provides flexible and local employment for large proportions of people globally (Besness et al., 2019). Most industries mandate employers with responsibilities of health protection responsibilities in industries. However, employee’s well-being and safety through the government policies, the retail sector, and each retail store have specific risks that must be assessed and controlled. According to the health and safety regulation act, it is the responsibility of an employer to everything sensibly to protect their employees and public members within the workplace (Alhassan et al., 2020). Since most workplace hazards are unpredictable, they can be eliminated through ongoing workplace assessments and taking realistic strategies to handle and prevent hazardous behaviors and situations. Various non-fatal injuries continue to be reported in retail workshops among them, resulting due to slips, trips, and falls. Therefore, organizations incur expenses due to accidents caused in the store by frequent employees, customers, suppliers, and general public interactions. Workplace injuries and illness are very costly to an organization in the following ways; low drive among employees, expensive HR management, insurance claims and higher costs, investigations, and prosecutions for not complying. Hence, an organization must implement a safety management system (SMS). This paper integrates various topics that enhance commercial safety.
Commercial safety can be achieved through safety management concept, which involves applications of set principles, frameworks, processes, and measures to prevent incidences of accidents, injuries, and other significant implications that can result from using a service or product (Aburumman et al., 2019). Safety management principles exist to assist managers in delegating their responsibilities for operational system design and implementation by either predicting system’s deficiencies before the emergence of error or the identification and correction of system’s shortcomings by professional analysis of safety occurrences. On the other hand, a safety management system (SMS) is a systematic approach involved in managing safety and includes organizational structures, accountabilities, policies, and procedures. Since it is scalable, SMS can be tailored to the size and complexity of any organization (Buokas et al., 2019). There are various safety management components, including safety policy, risk management, assurance, and promotion. Safety policy is involved in establishing the commitments of senior management to improve safety performance through a safety management system consistently. It also creates transparency in the management of safety by fully documenting policy and processes, and employee reporting and resolution system. Safety policy builds upon the processes and procedures that have already exist and facilitate cross-organizational cooperation and communication. Safety risk management (SRM) helps determine the need for, and adequacy of new or revised risk controls based on assessing the acceptable risks. On the other hand, Safety assurance helps in evaluating the efficacy of newly executed risk management strategies and aids the recognition of new risks. Safety promotion as a component of the safety management system involves training, communication, and other actions that would create a positive safety culture within all workforce (Glogovac et al., 2018)
There are several workplace health and safety management system elements in commercial safety. The first element is work health and policy that highlights management commitments towards creating a safe workplace environment. The element is composed of an internal responsibility system. It is everyone’s responsibility for their safety and those of their partners at the workplace. The internal responsibility system puts a relationship between workers and managers to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Managers must adhere to government procedures and standard rules of practices on the health, safety, and welfare of employees. Employers must comply with the following regulations; first, they must provide a safe workplace and reliable equipment and machinery. Employers are also expected to avail efficient facilities at a workplace for the welfare of staff and appoint capable people to maintain health and safety duties. Consequently, employers should be able to perform risk assessments, create health and safety policies, and take reasonable actions to manage risks. Other duties of the employers include providing coaching and information, administration, and training all employees sufficiently by establishing first aid procedures and displaying the health and safety law poster. On the other hand, employees are expected to take reasonable care for their health and safety in the workplace and ensure their co-workers’ safety. Also, employees should cooperate with their employers about any action they take to adhere to the OHS regulations. More so, employees are expected not to take reckless action that would intentionally interfere with anything at the workplace; thus, supporting health, safety, and welfare.
Creating a safe and healthy retail environment is another essential element of commercial safety. There are several hazards in the retail store that can lead to accidents and injuries when left uncontrolled. For instance, the shop floor can get smooth during wet conditions, fixtures and fittings can deteriorate, and stocks must be often replenished. More so, the same investment time in training and supervision must be provided to all employees to instill safe working practices. To ensure that all possible hazards in the workplace are prevented, risk assessment and management must be implemented by the retail organizations to ensure commercial safety.
Risk evaluation is an authorized obligation authorized by the management of health and safety at work regulations. Since every store has a unique layout and staff members, every store should evaluate the possible risks. Some various safety factors are normally considered, such as consulting a workplace risk management expert for advice that helps the organization get started. Incident management also plays an essential part in enhancing commercial safety. The following section discusses various health and safety and fire risks associated with the retail environment; thus, offering appropriate action that could be taken to manage every risk.
Fire hazards are common, mostly in the stores. The factors that may contribute to fire risks include exposed wires from lighting, open flames in a store, poor chemical storage in a backroom, or explosive materials left near a source of heat (Jatmikowati et al., 2018). Fire hazards can cause significant harm to both employees and customers. Therefore, an employer is assigned the responsibility of completing a separate fire assessment risk and delegate a competent person the duties of taking logical measures that would protect building users in case of the fire emergency incidents. There are various practical fire safety management tips that are simple and can minimize the risks of fire occurrence and damages. Organizations should also consider fire safety factors such as accessibility of chosen fire exits and escape routes, actions to keep fire exits and escape ways available and clear at all times. Installation of fire alarms and regular testing, employees’ training, evacuation guidelines, and proper storage of combustible waste are other factors that organizations should assess when evaluating hazards associated with fire.
Ergonomics is another safety hazard that can be experienced within an organization. Ergonomics involves employers matching their workplace requirements to their employee’s capabilities (Sebti et al., 2020). Therefore, mismatching employee’s abilities to work requirements can result in serious health implications or injuries. For instance, when hiring a small person to lift heavy boxes for hours due to poor ergonomics, you may risk damage to your employee.
Also, air quality is another important consideration when assessing risks. For instance, retail stores may be located inside malls, thereby having no windows or proper ventilation. As a result, the air in the store may begin to collect mold, fungus, bacteria, or specific vapors from products used. Various emergency preparedness recommendations would keep air quality safety in the retail store, for instance, by establishing an automatic system that cycle in fresh open-air and circulate the air throughout the store. An automated system should be checked regularly, and experts should be hired to ensure that it operates usually.
Retail crime is another risk that retail shop experiences thereby, altering commercial safety. Due to the increased cost of retail crimes, employers must consider security measures to assist in managing retail crimes and processes for protecting staff. In the event of a robbery, the team must understand what to do. The following are requirements that employers must comply with to combat retail crimes (Joyce et al., 2016); first, they should develop plans for dealing with retail crime and execute safe cash management and cash-up methods. Also, they should ensure that the staff reports incidents of mistreatment or unsuitable behaviors to evaluate the risk of the team operating in seclusion and reflect on appropriate security actions such as installing alarms, CCTVs, panic buttons, and training staff on handling offensive customers and robbery.
Shop equipment is an important factor to be considered during the risk assessment. A broad scope is covered by equipment and ranges from automatic doors, escalators, chillers, shelving, portable electrical equipment, and back-office computers. Risk assessment should account for every equipment by considering various factors in guests, employees, and customers. Multiple measures can be put in place to ensure that all equipment is safe and in working conditions. First, evaluate and manage the electrical injury risks from tools and assess and manage the risks of injury from moving parts. Also, the chances of injuries from broken or jagged fixtures, and the likelihood of merchandise falling from shelves should be considered. Flawed equipment should be repaired, replaced, or removed from and ensure that all equipment is assessed before use. Other factors to consider include training employees on safely using the equipment, organizing electrical safety checks, and conducting regular visual inspections.
Visual site inspection of premises should be consistently checked to ensure that there are no visible risks. Uneven flooring and spills are amongst the hazards that could cause a customer or an employee to slip and fall. People may trip or hurt themselves due to misplaced items; therefore, employers should immediately ensure that spills are cleaned and clutter removed from the floor. The most common causes of accidents in a retail store include slips and trips, and they can be minimized through the following good housekeeping measures; keeping the shop and stock room neat and tidy free from trip hazards, appropriate disposal of waste materials, maintaining open aisles of boxes while replenishing stock, and keeping walkways and access roots clear. Other proper housekeeping measures include keeping the floor clean and dry, implementing protocols that would be followed during cleaning up and reporting breakages and spillages. Training of managers was also highlighted as a control measure for keeping the workplace safe.
Other areas of commercial safety include cleaning, handling, and moving stocks, working at height, and working conditions. First, most cleaning products contain abrasive chemicals and irritants; therefore, correct products should be used for proper purposes. For instance, the manufacturer’s procedures and safety precaution, cleaners should be provided with protective gloves and appropriate cleaning equipment. Proper storage facilities for cleaning equipment and training employees on how to use cleaning equipment safely should also be provided. Besides, most injuries also accrue from poor handling of stock in the retailing; thus, it is an area that needs correct handling equipment and training. Several measures, such as creating practices for safe liberation and collections, training staff on safe lifting and usage skills, and storing bulky items at a suitable level, are essential to avoid injuries at the workplace.
According to the safety promotion component of the safety management system (SMS), safety is the core value and is everyone’s responsibility. The segment involves promoting a positive safety culture since it would influence correct behavior and lead to safe mission accomplishment. Commercial safety promotion plans include elements such as competencies and training and communication, and awareness (Owen et al., 2019). Education and training of employees involve informing them about the workplace hazards that they might be exposed to, how to recognize the risks, and how to control it. Through education, employees get to know the importance of safe practices and procedures. Also, education is essential as it affects the attitudes that eventually affect behaviors. On the other hand, training improves skills that are necessary for working safely. It is also essential that employees know about health and safety rules, worksite hazards, safe work procedures, and how to react in case of emergencies. Education and training should not only apply for employees but also to the managers and supervisors. Education helps managers and supervisors in their leadership roles, while training helps in enhancing their skills to identify and control hazards. Various training programs that employees can enroll include fire, tornado, earthquake drills, accident simulations, first aids, and even health and wellness programs. When employees are passed through these safety training protocols, lives can be saved in the event of an emergency, and prevent further safety hazards. More so, training would involve proper use of PPEs, forklift safety, and hazardous waste management. Proper documentation is also an essential part of safety since the notes can be used to plan future training.
In conclusion, commercial safety involves incorporating various aspects of the safety management system to ensure that employees are provided with a safe and healthy workplace. For instance, employers and workers should follow workplace safety policies to ensure the well-being of everyone. Also, risk assessment and management should be conducted in every store to enhance the safety of organizations. Risk assessment involves the identification of all visible hazards that creates an unsafe and unhealthy work environment. Preparing employees through training, emergency preparation, and incident management would also enhance retail safety and reduce the impacts of injuries in case of events.
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