What are the key health and safety training and communication strategies for new store staff and customers?

1 Identify hazards and risks

Before you open your new store, you need to conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify and evaluate any potential hazards and risks that could affect your staff and customers. These could include physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, or psychological factors, such as slips, trips, falls, fire, electricity, chemicals, infections, manual handling, violence, or stress. You need to consider the layout, design, equipment, products, processes, and activities of your new store, and how they could interact with people or the environment. You also need to consult with your staff and customers, as they may have valuable insights or feedback on the health and safety issues of your new store.

2 Implement controls and measures

Once you have identified the hazards and risks of your new store, you need to implement appropriate controls and measures to eliminate or reduce them as much as possible. You need to follow the hierarchy of controls, which prioritizes the most effective and reliable methods of prevention and protection. These include elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, you could eliminate a hazard by removing it from the store, substitute it with a less harmful alternative, engineer a barrier or a ventilation system, implement policies and procedures, or provide gloves or masks. You need to monitor and review the effectiveness of your controls and measures, and make adjustments as needed.

3 Train and educate staff

One of the most important health and safety training and communication strategies for new store staff is to provide them with adequate training and education on the hazards and risks of their work, and the controls and measures that they need to follow. You need to ensure that your staff are competent and confident in performing their tasks safely and efficiently, and that they understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to health and safety. You need to provide regular and relevant training and education to your staff, using a variety of methods, such as induction, on-the-job, refresher, or online courses. You also need to assess and evaluate the learning outcomes and the impact of your training and education on your staff's behavior and performance.

4 Communicate and engage customers

Another key health and safety training and communication strategy for new store customers is to communicate and engage them on the health and safety aspects of your store. You need to inform and educate your customers on the hazards and risks that they may encounter in your store, and the controls and measures that you have implemented to protect them. You also need to encourage and enable your customers to participate and cooperate in your health and safety efforts, such as following the signs, instructions, or rules that you have set up. You can use various channels and tools to communicate and engage your customers, such as posters, flyers, brochures, videos, social media, or feedback forms.

5 Respond and report incidents

Despite your best efforts, accidents or incidents may still occur in your new store, and you need to be prepared to respond and report them effectively. You need to have a clear and comprehensive incident response and reporting procedure that outlines the steps and actions that you and your staff need to take in case of an emergency or a non-emergency situation. You need to ensure that you have the necessary equipment and resources to deal with any incidents, such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers, alarms, or emergency contacts. You also need to ensure that you report any incidents to the relevant authorities, such as the health and safety regulator, the insurance company, or the police, as required by law or policy.

6 Review and improve performance

The final health and safety training and communication strategy for new store staff and customers is to review and improve your performance on a regular basis. You need to collect and analyze data and information on your health and safety performance, such as the number, type, severity, or cost of incidents, the feedback from your staff and customers, or the results of your audits or inspections. You need to use this data and information to identify and address any gaps, weaknesses, or opportunities for improvement in your health and safety management system. You also need to celebrate and recognize any achievements or successes that you and your staff have accomplished in relation to health and safety.