What Safety Equipment do Retailers Need?
What safety equipment do retailers need? When operating a retail store, you have a lot to think about. You worry about merchandise, workers, customers, and a whole lot more. In the midst of it all, don’t forget to think about safety. From occupational hazards to pandemic precautions to standard retail store safety equipment, retailers need a lot of different types of PPE and retail store safety equipment. In this article, you will learn about PPE equipment, retail store safety, different types of PPE, and ultimately how to answer the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?”
PPE Equipment
The first part of the safety equipment needed to answer the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” is PPE equipment. PPE is an acronym for personal protective equipment. PPE equipment is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazardous situations. As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we hear a lot about PPE equipment. Masks and gloves are PPE equipment that protects people from spreading and catching the virus.
Although preventing the spread of disease is important, in the retail world there are many different types of PPE equipment that retailers need to use in their stores. Preventing the spread of disease is only one part of the answer to the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?”
Different Types of PPE
To answer the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” you need to first understand the different types of PPE. The different types of PPE protect different parts of the body. Although not all are necessary for all situations, it is important to understand each type in order to keep you, your employees, and your customers safe on the store floor, the loading docks, and in storage.
Respiratory Protection
Masks are the most common form of face protection during the pandemic. The thin piece of fabric keeps our germs inside and other people’s germs outside.
If using strong cleaning products, spray paint, or other materials harmful to the lungs, you should use a respirator. A simple face mask is considered a respirator, but for activities involving harsh chemicals or particulates, you could use a power-assisted respirator.
Foot Protection
Your employees need appropriate shoes. Those working on the floor should wear closed-toed shoes, with proper support. Not only would this protect from dropped merchandise, but also prevent foot and ankle pain. Many retail workers stand for their entire shifts. If they are not wearing proper footwear, it will be much harder for them to make it through their shifts.
Those loading and unloading trucks especially need proper footwear. If you drop a heavy box on your foot it is going to hurt. If it is really heavy, it could even break your foot. Closed-toed, possibly steel-toed, shoes will keep your feet safe while handling heavy boxes of merchandise.
Ear Protection
Ear protection is designed to protect your hearing. Those who work in environments that will load noises tend not to lose their hearing all at once. The damage builds over time if you do not use the proper ear protection. Earplugs and earmuffs can prevent loud noises from hurting your ears. If you encounter an area prone to loud noises, consider installing a sound control system. This will dampen the noise emitting from the room so the rest of the store doesn’t need to hear it.
Head Protection
If you are in an environment where there is a risk of falling objects or bumping your head, you will need head protection. A helmet is the best head protection. If you are in an area where things are likely to fall, you will need an industrial safety helmet, but if you are just at risk of bumping your head, perhaps while completing maintenance, a bump cap will suffice.
Hand Protection
Another piece of the answer to the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” is gloves. Whenever you handle something that could harm your skin, you should wear gloves. A common time you might need gloves in a retail environment is during cleaning. Many cleaning products contain skin irritants. It is best to avoid contact with uncovered skin. It is also a good idea to wear gloves when cleaning bathrooms or unidentified spills and messes.
Body protection
In a retail environment, you will likely not need any special body protection. Employees should wear clothes suitable for their work. If they are to be cleaning, they should wear clothes covering areas likely to be exposed to chemicals and wash clothes if contaminated. If they work loading and unloading trucks, loose clothing might be a bad idea. When working in areas like that, loose clothing can become stuck and create a hazard.
Retail Store Safety
The second part of answering the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” is general retail store safety. To keep everyone safe, you need to stay organized and enforce safety rules. When people settle into a routine, they tend to disregard safety procedures to save time. They must not do this; this is when accidents happen. For example, if there is liquid on the floor, it must be mopped up to prevent falls. Boxes need to be stored safely. They should not be left in the aisles as this could cause a tripping hazard. Keep your storage organized through the use of partitions. Provide easy entrance with vinyl strip doors. The easier it is for employees to freely move through rooms and from one area to the next, the less likely they are to trip and fall.
A large part of retail store safety is fire safety. “What safety equipment do retailers need?” They need equipment that will prevent, detect, and fight fires. Look out for loose wires and improperly stored flammable chemicals and materials. Change the batteries in smoke detectors and install sprinklers. Have fire safety equipment like fire blankets and fire extinguishers on hand throughout the store.
Keeping everyone safe needs to be a priority. Answering the question, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” is the first step to creating a safe and prepared work environment. You want to prevent accidents, but that is not always possible. As such, you need to be prepared. You do not want to ask yourself, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” as an emergency is occurring.
Safety for Retailers
Safety is important. Here at Singer Safety, we understand. Our products are perfect for the retail environment. From fire safety equipment to multiple types of partition systems, we have the products you need. You will never need to ask, “What safety equipment do retailers need?” with Singer Safety.
