Shops and stores, UK wide
Retail Health and Safety
Retail puts staff and customers together in busy, fast-moving spaces and keeping everyone safe is part of running a good store. AL23 Safety helps retailers across the UK manage the sector’s real risks, from manual handling and slips to fire and the growing problem of violence towards staff so your store stays safe and compliant.
Why it matters in retail
The risks are real and so are the duties
A shop floor brings high footfall, regular deliveries, stock handling and public-facing staff into one space. On top of the familiar slip and handling risks, abuse and violence towards retail workers has risen sharply and there is now a specific criminal offence of assaulting a retail worker.
That raises the bar on what employers are expected to do to assess and control the risk.
The main risks
Where the harm comes from
The hazards that cause the most serious harm in this sector and the ones we focus on first.
Slips, trips and falls
Spills, deliveries and cluttered aisles.
Manual handling
Stock movement, deliveries and shelf stacking.
Violence and aggression
Towards staff, now a sharper legal and safety focus.
Fire
Stock, electrical equipment and customer evacuation.
Electrical and transport
Equipment safety and delivery vehicle movements.
The regulations that apply
Your legal framework, in plain terms
You will engage the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, COSHH 2002 and RIDDOR 2013. The standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker, now in law through the Crime and Policing Act, reinforces your existing duty to protect staff from workplace violence.
Key duties commonly engaged:
- HSWA 1974
- Manual Handling 1992
- RRFSO 2005
- COSHH 2002
- RIDDOR 2013
- Crime and Policing Act
How we help
Built around your operation
We provide retail risk assessments, including for violence and lone working, fire risk assessments, safety audits, accident investigation and health and safety documentation. We help you put real, workable controls in place rather than generic policies that sit in a drawer.
Why AL23 Safety
Sector-aware support that gets used
Current
We reflect the rising focus on staff safety and violence in retail.
Practical
Controls your store teams can actually apply.
Strong on fire
In-house fire engineering behind your fire assessments.
Nationwide
We support retailers across the UK.
Get in touch
Keep your store and your staff safe
Get in touch to discuss your retail health and safety needs.
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