Meaning of reporting
Reporting and recording of accidents and emergencies are legal requirements for a retail store.
A retail store must notify the relevant local authority of work-related deaths or certain work-related injuries.
Reporting involves:
1. instructing employees to call police, fire or medical emergencies,
2. listing emergency phone numbers and asking the employees to report all the non-emergency issues also,
3. posting emergency phone numbers on the notice board at retail stores,
4. information about accidents and ill health and 5. developing solutions for potential risks.
Legal policies and procedures for retailers: accidents and emergencies:
The retail stores need to plan for emergencies and special procedure need to be formulated by retailers in addition to the adoption of provision of relevant laws. The emergencies should be attended immediately. Quick and effective action by retailers may help ease the situation and reduce or avoid the consequence and loss of property and life. Therefore, the retail store staff should be well trained and competent to tackle the emergencies.
Procedure and legal requirements
Normally, the retailers have to follow the following procedures when emergency and accidents situations arise:
• First-aid should be made available to reduce seriousness of injury.
• Notify the accidents or emergencies to the store supervisor.
• Restrict entry in the danger zone to avoid risk of harming others.
• Warming alarms should be activated to alert the staff and customers in the store.
• Fire extinguishers should be used as per their operating procedures.
• Concerned officials like ambulance, fire brigade and police should be informed about emergencies and accidents.
• Call the emergency services and guide them properly to reach retailer’s premises.
• Make use of emergency lighting and exist doors to reach place of safety.
• Alert competent people who are trained to meet the emergencies.
System of reporting accidents and emergencies to right persons
It is important to report to the relevant enforcing authority —
employers, or in certain circumstances others who control or manage the premises and keep records —
of injuries, accidents and emergencies about:
• work-related deaths,
• work-related accidents which cause injuries to the retail staff, and
• injuries to customers in a retail store.
In this way the accidents and emergencies are reported in a retail store.
