The Importance of a Retail Industry Induction

On face value, retail certainly appears to be a safe industry. However, we all know what happens when complacency creeps in or when corners are cut regarding the health & safety of workers.

Although not truly classified as ‘high risk’, the retail industry presents a wide range of safety risks and hazards that need to be addressed in order to keep your workforce safe. Here are a number of key components that should be covered in every retail induction:

Lifting

In retail, there is a lot of unavoidable lifting. Lifting without knowing the proper techniques can be damaging and can lead to some very serious injuries. While a lot of people might think they know the correct way to lift, it is often not the case, and this is exactly why a retail industry induction needs to thoroughly cover the correct techniques clearly.

The last thing you want is an employee lifting items without knowing they’re putting themselves at serious risk of prolonged injury, so getting the right techniques engrained from day one is essential.

Proper Handling of Tools & Equipment

For those outside the retail industry, it may come as a surprise that there are actually a lot of tools and equipment involved day-to-day. Waste management machinery, meat and bread slicers, dough mixers and many more are used daily. Even small tools like box cutters can of course lead to serious injury, so it’s important to make sure every staff member is armed with the correct knowledge on how to use these items safely.

Security

As much as it’s an unpleasant truth, there will be times where security may be an issue. Whether it be the pre-Christmas rush, or a quiet day with only a handful of staff on, it’s important to know how to be as safe as possible when it comes to an incident. Having procedures and plans in place for these situations is the best way to ensure the safety of your workforce and customers.

Ladder Safety

It might seem silly but not everyone intuitively knows how to use a ladder correctly. Unfortunately, it’s usually an expectation in the retail sector. Ladder safety is important and cannot be overlooked, especially when you consider the high number of injuries caused by falling off ladders. Understanding the best practices for ladder safety is essential to avoid injuries in the workplace.

Hazardous Chemicals

You may not think it, but retail can involve some very serious and hazardous chemicals. These chemicals can cause injury if improperly handled, and it’s important to know how to identify different chemicals as well as how they are meant to be stored. There were over 1000 serious injuries caused by chemicals in 2021, so clearly more needs to be done to protect retail workers.

These are just a few key topics that absolutely need to be covered in an induction to ensure your workforce is working safely on a daily basis. Retail businesses never stop, so it’s important to have these topics covered to your workforce in a comprehensive yet easy to understand way.