Unit 4: Understanding how a retail business maintains health and safety on its premises
Task 3

Understand the employee’s responsibilities in reporting hazards and accidents that typically occur on the premises of a retail business

The most common types of risks, hazards and accidents to staff and customers are: * Lifting and pushing - eg. Handling heavy or awkward sized objects * Slips/trips and falls - eg. Slipping on a wet surface or falling from a ladder * Machinery - eg. Using ladders, trolleys etc... * Occupational violence - eg. Abusive customers or dealing with robbers * Chemicals - eg. Using cleaning products * Electrical incidents * Poor housekeeping- eg. Products being left lying around
Overall, slips/trips and falls or damage caused by manual handling/lifting remain the main culprits of injury in the retail workplace.
It is important to try minimise risks, hazards and accidents in the workplace. This is easy. You can make sure you have good signage in your shop. Not just in the back of the shop warning of chemicals or how to dispose things but also in the front of house. As if you had had a spill of a substance on the floor there is a hazard that customers might not see it so you need to put up a sign to warn them ad work on minimising or getting rid of that hazard before an accident happens.

It is equally important to report a hazard for the sake of employees and customers safety to reduce the risk of harm towards them. It is a legal requirement following the health and safety at work act 1974.

Who you report the hazard to depends on the severity of the hazard, but you need to always report it. It could be to your supervisor, the emergency services, a first aider, and a health and safety officer or in serious cases the government.