Safety Health and Environment in Grocery business

Falls, lifting heavy loads, moving vehicles, and standing for long periods are just some of the ways that
grocery workers and others can be injured.
Our company prides itself on eliminating the risk where we are reasonably able to and minimizing the
risk where we are not reasonably able to. In the following, we shall address how we will eliminate
and/or minimize some of the various safety risks and hazards that may occur during our day-to-day
operations.

1. Lifting and carrying

Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy loads can put workers at risk of serious injury. Workers are at
risk of injury from lifting and carrying particularly when:

 a load is too heavy, it’s difficult to grasp, or it’s too large

 the physical effort is too strenuous
 they are required to bend and twist when handling heavy loads.

When a person reaches for items above shoulder height, their back becomes arched and their arms act
as long levers. This makes the load difficult to control and significantly increases the risk of injury such as
muscle/tissue sprains, strains, and or chronic pain

Risk Mitigation/minimization:

 Use of mechanical lifting aids or lifting equipment such as a trolley or pallet truck and ensuring
they are being used properly.
 Positioning shelves and racking in storage areas at accessible heights.
 Ensuring service counters and food preparation surfaces are between hip and waist height.
 Training workers in proper lifting techniques.
 Breaking up large loads and packing stock in smaller volumes that are easier to store and lift.
 Ensuring workers are not exposed to repetitive or high-impact work for long periods, by having
job rotation.
 Suggestion box, for workers to report any manual handling concerns they may have.

2. Slips, trips, and falls

Falls from ladders frequently cause serious injuries. Work at height requires consideration of whether a
ladder is right for the job you’re doing. Workers can be harmed by:

 working at height without proper fall protection not following safe work procedures
 working on surfaces that are slippery or uneven
 overexertion
 insufficient training or planning
 using the wrong tool for the job, for example, using a ladder when it’s not safe to do so. 
Risk mitigation/minimization:

 Ladders and stepladders do not offer fall protection, and therefore should be the last form of
work access equipment to be considered. They should be used for low-risk and short-duration
tasks. The user should maintain three points of contact with a ladder or stepladder to reduce
the likelihood of slipping and falling.
 Keeping floors and access routes clear
 Marking spills and wet areas immediately
 Workers should pay attention to where they are going and should avoid running

3. Lone working and violence

Lone workers, particularly those working late night shifts may be at increased risk of being challenged or
encountering violence. There may also be situations where they need to use machinery, maneuver
equipment, lift heavy loads or use hazardous substances that may be too difficult or dangerous to be
carried out unaccompanied.

Violence can take many forms, ranging from physical assault and verbal abuse to intimidation and low-
level threatening behavior. Violence or threats of violence in the workplace are never acceptable.
Violence or threats of violence can come from customers, co-workers, or even a worker’s family
members or acquaintances and lone workers can be at greater risk.

Risk mitigation/minimization;

 Workplace policies and procedures (for example, how to deal with customers including what
unacceptable behavior is and what to do about it).
 What to do in an emergency (for example, provision of adequate first aid equipment/facilities
and access to first aiders)
 Training (for example, providing our workers with the training/supervision they need to work
safely, such as procedures for working safely)
 Other security measures:

o Signs that set out clear expectations of the behavior of customers (e.g. no bad language,
no verbal abuse, no physical intimidation) and the consequences of bad behavior.

4. Vehicle movements

Customers and workers will be kept safe by having a plan in place for the safe delivery and offload of
goods.

People could be harmed by:

 being trapped between a vehicle and a structure

 vehicles colliding with each other or a structure
 being hit by a vehicle
  items that fall off vehicles (unsecured or unstable loads)
 falling from a vehicle.

Other things to take into account include:

 Drivers/operators/pedestrians affected by drugs, alcohol, or fatigue (extreme tiredness).

 Drivers/operators/pedestrians affected by medical events (for example, heart attacks).
 Environmental conditions (slippery or unstable ground, low light, fog).
 Mechanical failure (for example, faulty steering or bad brakes).
 Driver distractions (for example, cell phones, noise, work pressures, home pressures).
 Anything that might block the drivers’ view.

When a person is hit by a truck or other vehicle or equipment, or a vehicle or equipment hits something
else, the consequences can be severe for the person and the business. For example, the person may
suffer crush injuries or fractures, or die.
A business may have to deal with property damage, reputational damage, service disruption, and
increased insurance costs.

Risk mitigation/minimization:

 Ensure reversing warning devices (for example, sounds or lights) are working.
 Turn on hazard lights if the vehicle is a temporary hazard.
 Providing adequate lighting on site so drivers, workers, and others can see what they are doing
and can also be seen by others.
 To minimize driver fatigue, manage when and how long drivers work.
 Where you can, have a one-way system to reduce the need for vehicles to reverse on site.
 Providing warning signs at all entrances and exits to the site.
 Ensure workers wear high visibility clothing.

5. Covid-19 Precautions

Physical Distancing

 Installation of physical distancing markers including the entrance area outside the premises if
appropriate, to ensure customers are maintaining a physical distance of 2 meters.
 Limiting the number of workers working in one space so that they can distance themselves from
each other.
 Where possible, having workstations or chairs positioned to maintain the physical distance.
 Installing transparent barriers where physical distancing is not an option.

Disinfection and Sanitizing

 Encouraging workers to maintain clean work stations, debit machines, cash registers, counters,
and equipment.
  Provision of hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for customers to use upon entry. Having
sanitizers available near the entryway and other high-traffic areas.
 Provision of a safe place for individuals to dispose of used sanitizing wipes and disposable
protective equipment. Emptying and cleaning waste containers regularly.
 Surfaces that come in contact with customers will be disinfected regularly.
 Paying particular attention to frequently touched surfaces and common areas, such as
entrances, counters, and washrooms.
 Cleaning and disinfecting/sanitizing equipment such as cash registers, carts, grocery conveyor
belts, and baskets, and other equipment between customers/ employees.

Hand and Respiratory Hygiene

 Workers will be trained in the proper handwashing technique and will avoid touching their
faces.
 Encouraging workers and visitors to wash their hands before entering the workplace, after
contact with others, or with surfaces, others have touched.
 Providing delivery staff, cashier, and other customer-facing staff with hand sanitizer for their use
only when receiving deliveries, interacting with the public, etc.

Customer

 Providing online ordering, delivery, or curbside pick up to reduce the need for customers to
enter your premises.
 For delivery at customer sites (homes) – eliminate at-the-door payment methods (require
online payment) and maintain physical distance.

Suggestion Box

A suggestion/tip box will be available onsite as it is important to 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.

6. Response to injuries

Injuries that have occurred on-shop shall be treated according to the severity and fatality of the injury
itself, for minor injuries, first aid shall be quickly administered to the affected party to lessen and quell
the effect of the injury.

First Aid-Minor Injuries

A first aid box will be provided and allocated to a trained, certified first-aider. Every injury occurring in
the shop will be treated and reported. Should an injury require professional medical treatment, the
supervisor in charge will complete an appropriate accident report.
Major Injuries

For more severe and potentially fatal injuries, the affected party shall be quickly administered life-saving
measures such as CPR (if necessary) whilst the appropriate authorities (Ambulance paramedics, police,
nearby clinics, and hospitals) are alerted and the individual is quickly taken to the closest and most
appropriate health facility.

7. Response to fire

In the case of fire emergencies, on-shop fire suppressants such as water, fire extinguishers, sand and
fire blankets, etc shall be used to try to lessen the severity of the fire. Each suppressant shall be used
according to the type of fire at hand i.e. electrical fires and fires caused by burning fuel sources require
different fire suppressants.