ASSE Offers Warehouse Superstore Safety Tips

Nov. 8, 2000
The American Society of Safety Engineers has recognized\r\nthat having customers in a warehouse store full of boxes, crates and\r\nlift trucks, can result in severe accidents.

In the spirit of "do it yourself" home improvement, more people are flocking to home improvement warehouse superstores to complete their projects.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has recognized that having customers in a warehouse store full of boxes, crates and lift trucks can result in severe accidents.

With the holiday season ahead, ASSE is recommending that those retail organizations who have yet to develop and implement a comprehensive safety and training program to educate employees in customer and employee safety do so soon and is also providing retail safety tips.

"ASSE believes that a retailer''s duty to act is based on its responsibility to provide a safe environment for both employees and customers," said ASSE President Samuel Gualardo. "It''s also important for the consumer to heed all warnings and be aware of their surroundings."

According to ASSE member and retail safety expert Terrence Grisim, CSP, ARM, the following are some of the programs retailers have put in place to minimize accidents:

  • Have height policies for stock stacked on top of each other.
  • Develop a procedure where store associates go through the store aisles several times a day to straighten up piles and correct any "leaners."
  • Spotters should be used wherever forklifts are in use and any time there is a danger where stocking and retrieval activities are taking place and where something can fall on a customer.
  • Only do work on stocked that is stacked when the store is closed or during hours of minimal customer traffic.

It takes a team effort to deal with retail safety effectively, according to ASSE.

It also requires the coordination of risk management and information systems; customer safety programs; employee safety programs; thorough and constant employee training; and ongoing safety evaluation and training for all associates, said ASSE.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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