Accident Proof Your Store

How safe is your store? There may be more potential safety hazards lurking on your sales floor and in your stockroom than you realize. Although occupational injuries are more commonly associated with manufacturing, a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that over one-fifth of all work related injuries occurred in the retail trade.

In an average year, the Labor Department receives almost eight injury reports for every 100 full time workers employed at American stores. Typically, over three of these reports involve injuries serious enough to require missed workdays. This, of course, does not include the thousands of customers who are injured each year while shopping.

Most of these unfortunate incidents can be avoided. By exercising common sense and looking for ways to prevent accidents before they happen, you can make your store a safer place for customers and employees alike. The following safety guidelines can help.

Safe Floors

Begin your safety improvement program from the “bottom up” by looking at your store’s floor. The floor is one of the most common sources of potential in-store safety hazards. Falls caused by unsafe floors can result not only in potentially crippling injuries but in costly lawsuits.

Do not wax your floors to a high polish finish. A sparkling floor may look impressive, but a floor that is very shiny will also be very slippery, increasing the chances that a customer or employee will fall.

If your store has a tile floor, be careful that the cracks between the tiles are not too deep, customers who wear high heels can easily trip and fall. Tiles that are cracked or chipped are also potential stumbling blocks and should be replaced promptly.

You should also replace or repair torn carpeting quickly. Carpet tears not only increase the likelihood of customer falls, they are also a leading cause of twisted ankles and stubbed toes. If you see a tear in your carpet, cover it with a rug or mat as a temporary measure. Or, if the tear is small, it can be sealed with tape until a more permanent repair can be made.

Inclement Weather

Snow, rain and other wet weather conditions can cause a hazardous situation in your store, as customers track in water from outside to create slippery spots on your floor. A cautionary “watch your step” sign should be posted prominently on your entrance door. Another sign should be posted at your register counter to remind customers to walk carefully when leaving the store. You should also have an employee mop the floor by your entrance and exit doors two or three times an hour, or more if necessary, during inclement weather conditions.

A large mat placed at your store entrance will help to control the water tracking problem. But make sure that the mat is held firmly in place, either by purchasing one with a suction bottom or by securing it with waterproof tape. A mat that shifts position, creases or bunches up becomes a stumbling block that can ambush the unwary customer as soon as he enters your store.

As an ongoing part of your safety program, make one employee responsible for inspecting floors three or four times a day, especially after busy periods, to check for dropped ice cream, discarded cone wrappers or other objects that can obstruct the path of customers.

If maintenance work is being done in your store that requires an extension cord or other cable to be run across your floor, hold it firmly in place with tape to keep it from tripping people. Its also a good idea to place small yellow “watch your step signs”, available at hardware and building supply stores, next to the cord.

Safe Displays

The dipping cabinets that you use can pose a threat to the well-being of customers and employees if proper safety procedures are not followed. Begin by carefully examining the dipping cabinets themselves.

Cabinets should have rounded, rather than sharp, corners to minimize the safety risk to children and other customers. If you have sharp edged cabinets that cannot be parted with, block them from the path of customers traffic by putting a freestanding display rack, a stack of products or other barricade in front of any exposed corners. An alternative is to cover the corners with rubber elbow pads.

If you have wooden counters or fixtures in your store, check to make sure that all surfaces are smooth to avoid the risk of splinters. Similarly, glass counters should be checked for chips that can scratch or cut a hand.

Be sure that any cords, cables, or strings that are attached to products do not dangle over dipping cabinets. If these get caught in hair or clothing of a passing customer, the product can come swinging down with deadly force.

Displays

Do not stack product displays too high. When possible, displays should be stacked in steps, rather than in a straight vertical configuration. This will allow the customer to pull an item from the display without running the risk of being buried by an avalanche of fallen products.

Check the products that you put in reach-in display bins for sharp edges, protrusions or other potential hazards that can injure the unwary customer’s hand. For example, the staples that are used to seal some product bags can cut the hand of a customer who reaches in, and the thin wooden crates that are used to package other products can cause splinters.

Every product you display should fit safely on a shelf. A product that protrudes eight to twelve inches from its shelf poses a safety hazard. It can trip the customer if it is displayed on the

bottom shelf, or it can poke an eye if it’s displayed higher.

Products that are heavy and difficult to handle should never be displayed on top shelves. Customers and employees are more likely to pull a muscle, sprain a back or injure themselves in some other way when reaching for these products. Also, a heavy product dropped from a high shelf will cause greater pain and injury if it falls on the customer’s foot than a light weight item.

Overhead Signs

Overhead signs and display props should be fixed securely in place and hung high enough to avoid striking the passing customer in the head or eye. If possible, hang signs and other material over the display shelf itself. This way, if the sign or prop falls, there is less danger of it either hitting a customer or coming to rest on the floor where someone can trip.

Check all screws used to assemble displays, hang wall shelves and install pegboard units to ensure that they are tightened completely. A protruding screw can scratch an employee or customer or tear the sleeve of a shirt or blouse.

Plants

Many store owners use plants to decorate displays as well as the exterior of their shops. If your store traffic includes children, check to make sure that the plants are not poisonous. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, about 13,000 people are victims of plant poisoning every year, almost all of them children.

Surprisingly, many of the most common and seemingly innocent plants can be harmful if swallowed by a child. For example, such familiar Christmas greens as mistletoe, holly and yew can cause serious discomfort. One leaf of a poinsettia can cause death. Other common plants like rhododendron, iris and azalea are also potentially toxic. It’s a good idea to confine plants and Christmas greens to areas behind service counters, unless, you are absolutely certain they are not poisonous.

You should also avoid using rubber balloons to decorate displays. A balloon that breaks and is picked up by an inquisitive child can become lodged in the windpipe and lead to death by strangulation. Balloons should never be given away as favors to youngsters for the same reason.

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Exercise great caution if you find it necessary to use ant traps, mouse traps or other devices to control an insect or pest problem in your store. These devices should be removed from your sales floor in the morning before you open your door and put in a secure place away form customer traffic. You can bring them back to your sales floor again at night after you have closed.

If your store has a restroom that is available to customers, make sure that it is accident proof. Check periodically to see that the floors are dry. Do not store potentially harmful cleaning solutions or other chemicals in the room. Be sure that your thermostat on your water heater is set so that scalding hot water never comes out of the tap.

Electrical Accidents

Electrical accidents pose a serious threat to employees and customers. If you use an extension cord, check first to determine that it is not worn or frayed. When you are finished with the cord, disconnect it from the wall socket first. An extension cord that is plugged into the wall and disconnected from the tool or appliance can cause serious electrical burns or shocks.

Tape or cap all unused electrical outlets to keep curious children from poking fingers or metal objects into them.

Remember, water and electricity don’t mix. Do not clean lights, electric display fixtures, or electric products with a damp or moist cloth when they are on. If your store has a water display or decorations such as a fountain or pond, do not display electrical products or hang electric props near it. Never install wiring or light to an outdoor sign or hang outdoor decorations on a rainy or snowy day. When doing these jobs, make sure you are in an area that is dry and free of puddles.

Fire Hazard

If you highlight displays with track lighting or other high intensity lights that generate heat, make sure they are installed high enough so that they cannot burn the unfortunate customer who accidentally brushed against them. Also, never hang paper display props or inflammable fabrics next to high intensity lighting, since this material can ignite.

Similarly, you should never allow trash to accumulate in a corner of your store or stock room, this can result in spontaneous combustion. Also avoid putting space heaters on the sales floor where they can inadvertently be knocked over by customers.

Have fire extinguishers readily available on your sales floor, as well as in your stock room and office and train your staff how to use them. Check with your local fire department to ensure that you have the appropriate type of fire extinguisher for your store. For example, paper fires and grease fires require different types of extinguishers.

Check all electrical cords for signs of wear, and all outlets and switch plates for heat build up. If they are hot to the touch, call your fire department. You should also check smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries in battery powered models once a year, remembering always that in the area of store safety, prevention is your best defense. v