New research has revealed that over two fifths (43%) of retail workers regularly break health and safety rules because of bad habits becoming commonplace in the workplace, whilst a similar number (40%) say they break a rule when they don’t see the risk as being great enough.
The study1, commissioned by Phoenix Health & Safety, surveyed 1,500 participants UK wide to uncover which health and safety regulations are most commonly broken in workplaces and why.
2022 data from HSE shows that 36.8 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury2, painting a sobering picture of the current state of health & safety in all workplaces.
Phoenix Health & Safety has gathered insightful data to better understand why people are willing to cut corners in retail, and how businesses should take action to reduce the risk of future workplace accidents.
The most common reasons health and safety regulations are broken in retail are:
Bad habits becoming commonplace (43%)
People think the risk does not seem great enough to need the rules (40%)
To speed up work (36%)
Employees see the rules as unnecessary (27%)
Employers see the rules as unnecessary (24%)
Discussing the results, Nick Higginson, CEO of Phoenix Health & Safety, shares: “By looking at these results we can see that a major reason why regulations are being broken is a poor understanding of the rules and why they’re in place, with 40% of people seeing rules as unnecessary.”
In addition, 36% of retail workers break health and safety rules to speed up their work and 27% of employees said they break rules when they see them as unnecessary.
Higginson explains: “It is easy to forget the importance of regulations and fall into bad habits if they’re not addressed on a regular basis. This is why frequent training is imperative to ensure employees have an up-to-date understanding of all health and safety measures in place and why they matter.”
The most frequently broken health and safety regulations in retail are:
Not reporting an incident to superiors (31%)
Not doing adequate risk assessments (26%)
Slipping/tripping hazards not addressed (25%)
Not following moving and handling guidelines (23%)
Not following working from height guidelines (18%)
Not having clear signage (18%)
Blocking fire escapes or other essential gangways (16%)
Individuals choosing not to use office equipment that could prevent injury (11%)
Workplace assessments not being conducted eg, chairs, desk arrangements etc (10%)
Individuals choosing not to use appropriate PPE (9%)
The most commonly broken regulation was not reporting health & safety incidents to superiors, with almost a third (31%) of respondents admitting that this happens in their workplace.
Explaining why this is so concerning, Nick says: “It is vital that a potential hazard in the workplace is reported to the relevant persons, whether that be a supervisor or safety manager, as soon as it has been identified so it can be dealt with immediately. Not doing so can result in accidents and injuries that could have been otherwise avoided.”
Over a quarter (26%) of retail workers also reported that risk assessments were inadequate in their workplace.
Nick states: “This is very surprising, as completing a thorough risk assessment is essential as part of HSE compliance and preventing accidents within the workplace – the failure to complete an appropriate risk assessment can not only result in a hefty fine but can also put the public and employees at considerable risk.”
Summarising the findings from the study, Nick concludes: “Whilst health and safety regulations may sometimes be perceived as unnecessary and a barrier to productive work, it’s important to remember that they play a crucial and potentially life saving role in the workplace. 135 workers and 68 members of the public were killed in work-related accidents in 2022/233, signalling how this is a serious issue which can result in fatalities.
“It is the responsibility of organisations to ensure that all health and safety regulations are in place and a culture of following the rules is installed in the workplace, but it is also the responsibility of employees themselves to ensure the regulations are followed.”
Instilling a safety culture within the workplace can be done by relevant employees taking an accredited, industry-standard course such as the IOSH Managing Safely Course, which will provide the knowledge needed to be responsible for the health and safety of others in the workplace.
For further information on the IOSH courses available, visit
https://www.phoenixhsc.co.uk/
