Five key health and safety risks in the licensed trade – addressing the pitfalls to avoid brand reputational damage!

Health and safety risks may sound trivial but logging the potential risks at your workplace(s) and demonstrating the correct protocols are in place can be crucial if an accident does happen in a licensed premises. Advance preparation is paramount, so read on and if you have questions or need assistance, please get in touch.

1. Alcohol

Workers selling alcohol face several workplace risks, particularly in off-licences premises. These risks can include interactions with aggressive or inebriated customers, often at late hours. The behaviour of these customers can often be unpredictable and can pose a significant risk. The risk posed by customer aggression should be treated as any other workplace hazard.

Employers should provide safe work systems and procedures to prevent and respond to aggression, including protocols for working alone or at night. You should also be aware of employee support systems, including counselling provisions, and make your employees aware of complaints procedures.

2. Working alone

Retailers and hospitality traders often stock high value goods or retain large amounts of cash on the premises. Lone workers may be threatened or intimidated, and an employer must help prevent this from happening by minimising the risks they are exposed to.

This could involve using technology to report incidents and request assistance or providing a secure area accessible to employees only.

3. Slips and trips

Every year, thousands of workers are involved in a slip or trip resulting in serious injury. In 2022/23 alone, there were over 150,000 cases reported under RIDDOR in the UK. It’s one of the most common causes of workplace injury.

Businesses that stock large quantities of liquid and premises with a high volume of foot traffic face greater risk. As well as spillages, operators should consider damaged flooring, uneven floors and other trip hazards.

4. Manual lifting and handling

Training employees to lift and handle goods is an important H&S obligation and was the second most reported accident type in 2022/23. Manual handling injuries are surprisingly widespread – one million working days are lost annually to this.

Operators must ensure employees are carrying out safe lifting and handling practices. Employees should understand the dangers associated with poor handling technique while employers should discipline compliance failures.

5. Fire

Fire protection and evacuation procedures must be in place to ensure staff and customers are warned immediately if a fire breaks out.

Signage is paramount and training staff in responding to fire alarms and ensuring sufficient fire prevention technology is in place are crucial.

Your responsibility

All businesses should appoint someone with relevant expertise to meet their obligations and to consider the health and safety of everyone entering their property.

The proprietor is responsible for taking all practicable risk precautions and for accidents that could have been foreseen and prevented.

Having a written H&S policy demonstrates that you’ve carefully considered the risks specific to your environment. It should detail who the H&S representative is, and their responsibilities.

Larger businesses often instruct consultants while those running smaller businesses or operating in a low-risk environment might appoint an in-house representative.

Risk management

Risk assessments identify potential workplace risks and ensure there is adequate protection for staff and clients. Workplace audits and tours will enable you to consider how likely a risk is, the level of harm it poses, and how best to control it.

One of the most effective ways of identifying risks is consulting employees and any relevant employee organisations, such as a trade union. Employees often have the clearest line of vision in respect of how the workplace operates and what the hazards are.

Trade unions can also assist with risk assessments, drafting policy documents, and mitigating risks.

Adequate training and welfare facilities

It is imperative that operators provide H&S training to staff. Education is key to avoid accidents, so include topics that are relevant to their working environment.

Employees must have access to adequate facilities including toilets, drinking water, and a rest/break room, as well as industry specific facilities. A ventilated workspace, space for equipment storage and suitable workstations are important factors. Access routes to welfare facilities should be kept clear, equipment regularly checked, and the workspace cleaned (especially confined spaces).

Further, brand reputation is incredibly important in the licensed trade. Straightforward risk mitigation can avoid any reputational damage or personal injury/death in the workplace.

If you have questions or concerns relating to the risks that affect your business, Joanna Arnott will be more than happy to help you revise or create a risk management strategy.

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