Personal Safety in Retail

Incidents and Issues in Retail

Shop workers have been injured, some very seriously, in what have started as seemingly innocuous incidents. Retail workers are particularly vulnerable due to the way they interface with the General Public, and the fact that they often handle considerable amounts of cash.

Robberies and thefts are a regular issue with any retail outlet, whether shoplifting or armed robbery for the daily takings, the risks are obvious, however, the number of retailers who train staff in Personal Safety is still below the National Average for all workers. This exposes the retailer to claims (which are rising doe to No Win, No Fee offers from claims management companies and lawyers) and the trauma suffered by staff who have not been trained to deal with the risk can result in absence and may require that the staff member is re-allocated to other duties.

How can staff be protected?

In order to protect staff from physical abuse or attacks, it is important that management and staff have an understanding of the risks. Areas that can have an impact on Personal Safety for staff in a retail setting are: Point of sale area setup, retail workplace setup, entry points, cash management, opening and closing the business, working alone at night, what to do in case of a robbery.

Under the law, both management and staff must, where there is no regulation or code of practice about a risk, take reasonable precautions and exercise proper diligence against the risk.

Opening and closing times can be particularly dangerous in terms of robbery, therefore a good strategy for dealing with the most hazardous times is required within the Risk Management procedures.

Breakaway Training is offered as an option, and is based on tested and sound principles of escape without damage to the client or staff member.

A Certificate of Attendance is presented to all participants, and attendees are requested to complete a feedback form on completion of the course, in order that we can continue to improve our workshops and courses.

For more information, or to book a Personal Safety Training Seminar, please contact us on 01279 419427, or email from our contact page.