Shop floor clutter, uneven floor surfaces and poor lighting can put workers and customers at risk of slip, trip or fall injuries.

How are workers and others harmed?

When someone falls as a result of a slip or trip, the injury can range from minor (bruises and scrapes) to more serious, including broken bones or head trauma. The severity of the injury will depend on the circumstances.

Examples of how injuries can be caused include:

• slippery floors from water or other liquids
• trailing cables
• movable clothes racks or stools
• products falling from shelves onto the floor
• uneven or damaged flooring.

What can you do?

First you must always eliminate the risk where you’re reasonably able to. Where you’re not reasonably able to, then you need to consider what you can do to minimise the risk.

Here are some examples:

• Keep the store tidy – housekeeping is really important in preventing slips, trips and falls.
• Clean up spills promptly.
• Use matting at the shop entrance to prevent customers slipping on wet tiles on a rainy day.
• Design the store so that cables don’t trail or cross the floor.
• Maintain flooring in good condition.
• Design flooring to be non-slip.
• Organise the store so that movable clothing racks, product displays and other store furniture does not obstruct movement.
• Ensure merchandise is stored in an accessible and stable location to prevent it spilling or falling on to the floor.
• Regularly maintain equipment with moving parts and trolleys, and ensure breaking mechanisms work to avoid accidents from unintentional movements.
• Ask workers to wear non-slip comfortable shoes.

Always ask workers for input on identifying health and safety risks, and when choosing solutions. People are more likely to take responsibility and make good choices if they’ve been involved in the conversation. Workers are the eyes and ears of your business. They could suggest practical, cost-effective solutions.

You need to select the most effective control measures that are proportionate to the risk, and appropriate to your work situation.

Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy loads can put workers at risk of serious injury.

How are workers and others harmed?

Workers are at risk of injury from lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling particularly when:

• a load is heavy, it’s difficult to grasp, push or pull, or it’s too large or difficult to handle
• postures are awkward and the physical effort is high (for example workers are visibly struggling, or say the task is difficult)
• the environment is challenging (for example, confined spaces, slippery floors, steps, poor lighting)
• they regularly bend, twist, reach, or hold the load away from their body
• they are rushing, have high work demands, or are understaffed
• they are young, old, new or expectant mothers, recovering from injury, have English as a second language.

Injuries and conditions can affect muscles, ligaments, bones, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves.

They may start as mild aches or pains and can develop into serious conditions, for example:

• strains or sprains
• joint and bone injuries or degeneration
• nerve injuries
• muscular and vascular disorders resulting from vibration
• soft tissue injuries such as hernias
• chronic pain.

What can you do?

First you must eliminate the risk where you’re reasonably able to. For example:

• Redesign the layout of workplace to eliminate the need to lift, carry, push, or pull loads.
• Use mechanical lifting aids or lifting equipment, and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

Where you can't eliminate the risk you then need to consider what you can do to minimise the risk. For example:

• Ensure the layout/design limits the need to push, pull, or carry equipment or loads (for example, good path design, floor surfaces that allow goods to be moved directly to storage areas).
• Position shelving and racking in storage areas at accessible heights – consider placing heavy loads on the easiest access middle shelves
• Ensure service counters are between hip and waist height and suit your workers.
• Order stock in smaller containers or quantities so that are easier to store and handle.
• Ensure workers are not exposed to repetitive or high impact work for long periods of time. Consider job sharing or job rotation.
• Ensure workers know how to do all their work tasks and use equipment safely.

Always ask workers for input on identifying health and safety risks, and when choosing solutions. People are more likely to take responsibility and make good choices if they’ve been involved in the conversation. Workers are the eyes and ears of your business. They could suggest practical, cost-effective solutions.

You need to select the most effective control measures that are proportionate to the risk, and appropriate to your work situation.

Health and safety specialists such as vocational occupational therapists, occupational health physiotherapists, occupational health nurses, and ergonomists/human factors professionals (and others) can be used to support businesses to manage risks.

Unwashed and unclean second-hand goods carry the risk of infection or infestation, particularly second-hand clothing or bedding.

How are workers and others harmed?

• Bacterial organisms such as streptococci and staphylococci are very unlikely to survive on clothing or bedding in sufficient numbers or long enough to cause a health risk to the purchaser.
• Parasites (including fungi) however, may survive for extended periods of time. While transmission of these organisms is also unlikely, some second-hand goods may result in a risk to health if they are not thoroughly cleaned before use.

While the risk to health associated with second-hand goods is very low, and thorough and hygienic cleaning is all that is generally required to minimise the risk of transmission, there may be some residual risk.

Many charitable organisations and second-hand dealers ensure that items are washed or clean before offering them for sale to the public.

What can others do?

First you must always eliminate the risk where you’re reasonably able to. Where you’re not reasonably able to, then you need to consider what you can do to minimise the risk.

Here are some examples:

• Washing second-hand clothing and bedding in hot water (hotter than 60oC) and detergent kills these disease-causing organisms.
• Items that cannot be washed such as toys, pillows and delicates can be dry cleaned or placed on high heat in a tumble dryer for 10 minutes.

What to look for:

• Bed bugs, lice and their eggs and/or waste products may be evident in the seams and creases of second-hand goods (although they usually scurry away and hide when exposed to the light).
• Examining an article will give an indication of its general cleanliness and quality but not necessarily reveal a health risk.
• Most parasites of concern are so tiny that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. That’s why it’s important that all items are treated as potentially contaminated and washed before use.
• Items that are grossly soiled or contaminated should be discarded.

Always ask workers for input on identifying health and safety risks, and when choosing solutions. People are more likely to take responsibility and make good choices if they’ve been involved in the conversation. Workers are the eyes and ears of your business. They could suggest practical, cost-effective solutions.

You need to select the most effective control measures that are proportionate to the risk, and appropriate to your work situation.

Lone workers – particularly those working late night shifts – may be at increased risk of being challenged or even violent behaviour. They can also be at increased risk of injury where some work tasks are more challenging to do unaccompanied.

How are workers harmed?

Lone workers can be at greater risk of threats, verbal or physical violence. This can affect workers physically and mentally, resulting in increased stress levels, decreased emotional wellbeing, reduced coping strategies and lower work performance.

Lone workers may also be in situations where they need to use machinery, manoeuvre equipment, lift heavy loads or use hazardous substances that may be too difficult or dangerous to be carried out by one person.

Employers need to be aware of any additional health and safety risks that could arise from work being done by workers in lone / unaccompanied situations. Workers should be involved when considering the potential risks and control measures that will be put in place to control them.

What can you do?

First you must always eliminate the risk where you’re reasonably able to. Where you’re not reasonably able to, then you need to consider what you can do to minimise the risk.

Employers should understand the situations where people work alone and consider some of the following questions:

• Is there a safe way in and out of the workplace, (for example, for a lone person working out of regular business hours where the workplace could be locked up?)
• What is the risk of violence and/or aggression?
• Are there any reasons why the individual might be more vulnerable than others and be particularly at risk if they work alone (for example, if they are young, pregnant, have a medical condition, are disabled, or a trainee)?
• Does the workplace present other specific risks to the lone worker, for example handling equipment, such as portable ladders or trestles, that one person could have difficulty handling?
• Are chemicals or hazardous substances being used that may pose a particular risk someone working alone?
• Does the work involve lifting objects too large for one person?
• If the lone worker’s first language is not English, are suitable arrangements in place to ensure clear communications, especially in an emergency?

Always ask workers for input on identifying health and safety risks, and when choosing solutions. People are more likely to take responsibility and make good choices if they’ve been involved in the conversation. Workers are the eyes and ears of your business. They could suggest practical, cost-effective solutions.

You need to select the most effective control measures that are proportionate to the risk, and appropriate to your work situation.

Violence at work can include attempted or actual physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation, and low-level threatening behaviour.

Violence or threats of violence can come from customers, co-workers or even a worker’s family members or acquaintances.

Lone workers can be at greater risk.

What can you do?

First you must always eliminate the risk where you’re reasonably able to. Where you’re not reasonably able to, then you need to consider what you can do to minimise the risk.

Here are some examples of things you can consider:

• workplace layout (for example, a workplace layout must, so far as is reasonably practicable, allow people to enter, exit and move about without risks to health and safety – both under normal working conditions and in an emergency)
• workplace policies and procedures (for example, how to deal with customers including what unacceptable behaviour is and what to do about it)
• what to do in an emergency (for example, you must also provide adequate first aid equipment/facilities and access to first aiders)
• training, (for example, you must provide your workers with the training/supervision they need to work safely, such as procedures for working safely)
• other security measures:
• Panic buttons/duress alarms to seek help and alert other workers to potential danger.
• CCTV with warning signs.
• Signs that set out clear expectations of the behaviour of customers (for example, no bad language, no verbal abuse, no physical intimidation) and the consequences of bad behaviour.

Always ask workers for input on identifying health and safety risks, and when choosing solutions. People are more likely to take responsibility and make good choices if they’ve been involved in the conversation. Workers are the eyes and ears of your business. They could suggest practical, cost-effective solutions.

You need to select the most effective control measures that are proportionate to the risk, and appropriate to your work situation. You should also have effective ways to investigate and deal with violence when it does occur.

For more information, see violence at work.