How health and safety technology has changed retail

The retail industry is one of the world's major employers, with a market size of $5.20 billion in 2020, as per The Global Retail Analytics. It is, therefore, important that the sector emphasises health and safety.

While most hazards associated with the retail environment are low risk, accidents are still common, inflicting significant expenses on the business.

The legal requirements for employers to manage health and safety in retail will vary from country to country. But as with any workplace, any hazard should be identified, assessed, and controlled.

Technological advancements have significantly improved workplace safety in the retail sector over the past years, helping many companies ensure safety on their premises. Here's how health and safety technology has changed retail.

1. Check-in technology

The development of check-in and desk booking technologies has helped employees identify who is present without the need to see them in person. This has been significantly helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic, where most employees have to work from home.

Check-in technology has gained immense popularity in the retail industry since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the help of this tech, employees can track who is at the office and which team members are working at home.

The tool can also help identify those who have come into close contact with someone who may have tested positive for Covid, preventing the spread of the virus in the workplace.

Contactless check-in allows employers to inventory people coming in and out of the workplace without the usual paperwork and receptionist.

The technology uses software that can read RFID, QR codes, and mobile phones. It helps minimise face-to-face interaction while still communicating with employees and monitoring the people coming in and out of the premises.

2. The ease of online training

While many organisations are already implementing online health and safety training pre-pandemic, it has significantly grown in popularity sincethe Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to train from home and minimising the spread of the virus, numerous other benefits come with online health and safety training.

With the traditional on-site training, companies have to look for a schedule suitable for all employees to take the course.

And as the organisation gets bigger, this can become increasingly difficult. Looking for a timeslot that will work for everyone is hard and repeating the course for other team members can be time-consuming.

In addition, classroom training is impractical for retail companies operating across various cities or countries since it has to be repeated for each site. Because of this, many retail companies find the need to invest in online training, past the usual tech trends, such as cyber security which tie together tech and compliance for companies.

Health and safety online courses come with features that can improve employee engagement.

For instance, the training programme can include activities and games with achievements and scores, which is a fun way of engaging participants while challenging them to learn.

3. Lone worker apps

The other technologies that retail companies are investing in to improve health and safety at work are lone worker apps and wearable panic alarms.

There are many risks involved in working alone, especially those in retail who need to work in large warehouses. Thus, employers are investing in technologies that can help reduce risks in this workplace setting.

The lone worker apps can be installed on the workers' smartphones, providing welfare checks, panic alarms, and fast GPS services. Some employers may also wish to include wearable panic alarms for employees in high risk situations.

Regardless of the technology you choose, these devices are guaranteed to provide real-time information about the location and status of the lone worker. It can also offer a first-aid response in case of danger.

Remember that being an employer, it is your legal responsibility to ensure the health and safety of your workers. Unable to meet the legislative standards could lead to fines and even jail sentences.

Deploying the lone worker app demonstrates your commitment to ensuring the safety of your workers, especially if their tasks require them to work alone.

4. Store security systems

You cannot eliminate the risk of break-ins occurring at your store, but there are things you can do to minimise this and keep your staff and business protected.

One of these is to invest in-store security systems. Store security systems consist of various elements, including store security guards, although the most common and cost-effective is using surveillance cameras.

Thanks to technology, you will now find several innovative security camera systems that can keep your business fully protected - from small CCTV cameras to state-of-the-art security systems that are cloud connected.

Another thing employers can do is hire embedded software engineers who can design a customised retail security system. As you know, every business is unique. A custom made retail store security system is specifically designed to meet your needs. Thus, it's more effective and reliable.

Embedded software engineers recruitment specialists can help you hire embedded software engineers who can design, create, and maintain store security systems that can ensure the safety of your employees and business.

5. Indoor positioning systems

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, companies in the retail sector were already investing in indoor positioning system technology that helps them understand how store layout could affect customer experience.

The IPS collects and analyses data to help businesses understand customers' needs and improve their experience.

The retail industry is very competitive, and the last thing retailers want are disgruntled customers queuing to pick up and pay for an order that could cause congestion in the aisles. And now that we're still in the middle of a pandemic, social distancing measures are still strictly observed.

Congestion will not only cause the virus to spread. It will also make it difficult for customers to navigate the store, resulting in a bad impression.

Indoor positioning systems allow retailers to monitor overcrowded and under-utilised pathways and identify bottlenecks in certain areas in the store, enabling them to thoughtfully adjust the layout of their store and improve the customer experience.