Page 272 - DMGT551_RETAIL_BUSINESS_ENVIRONMENT

Unit 13: People in Retailing: Making People Matter

The other rules of ergonomic design, like good lighting and space, are also necessary to avoid Notes
the risk of repetitive motion illnesses.
Members employed in retail face an exhaustive list of hazards on the job. It is important for
them to be aware of those dangers, as well as their employers’ responsibilities in ensuring a safe
workplace.

Fire Prevention

Fire hazards often exist in retail stores due to flammable and combustible materials, electrical
malfunctions, open flames, sparks, hot surfaces, smoking and unsafe storage of chemical products.
Your employer must have an emergency plan for how to evacuate the store, who to call in case
of fire, and job tasks for people responsible for evacuation. Exit paths should not be blocked and
must be clearly marked with exit signs that are lighted. It is better to have a pre-emergency plan
than for chaos to result when a fire breaks out, causing loss of life and property damage.
Fire extinguishers must be available, and workers should be trained in how to use them. They
must be the correct type for the hazard: type A for combustibles, type C for electrical equipment
and type ABC for general fires. Fire extinguishers must be inspected regularly to ensure that
they are in good working order. The needle gauge must be at the 12:00 o’clock position and the
nozzle in good shape. Sprinklers must be installed and inspected at least once a year.
Good housekeeping and proper storage and disposal of combustible and flammable materials
are the most important steps in preventing fires in a retail store. The employer must allow time
in the work day for this type of work to be done.

Floors

Slips, trips and falls are common causes of injuries in all retail stores. Wet, slippery floors
around produce, meat, fish and freezer areas are especially hazardous in grocery supermarkets.
Similarly, aisles that are cluttered with boxes, and uneven cracked flooring are all hazards
commonly found in department stores.
All spills need to be cleaned promptly, and time needs to be allowed to clear clutter and waste
from the aisles.
Machine Guarding

Many bakery, deli, meat and fish department workers as well as store carpenters and maintenance
staff, use electrical equipment that can cause serious cuts, bruises, amputations, crushed bones
and other injuries. The machines include saws, meat grinders, slicers, mixers, trash balers and
garbage disposal units. The moving parts must be guarded to prevent body contact with the
machine, and chain mail gloves should be provided for cleaning them. Moving parts include
belt drives, shear points, nip points pulleys, sprockets, blades, saw blades, rotating and flying
parts.
In the deli or meat department, blades on the slicing machines must have machine guards to
help prevent accidents. Non-automatic slicers must have a handhold protected from the blade.
All slicers must be kept sharp so that force is not necessary. Deli workers should not wear loose
clothing, which might get caught in the blades of a machine.

Trash Disposal

Trash disposal is a hazard that is present in most retail store situations, and it must be dealt with
cautiously to ensure that nobody is hurt. Trash compactors and loading doors should be

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