Looking after your retail staff
What are our OHS&W responsibilities?
You have a responsibility to protect the occupational health, safety and welfare of your staff. Your store should have an OHS&W policy in place. A study by the Shop Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) surveyed 1,000 workers and managers and made several recommendations which you might include in your own policy to ensure this change does not affect the welfare of your staff.
- Ensure all your workers are trained for manual handling, OHS&W and workplace stress.
- If offering ‘green’ reusable bags as an alternative to lightweight, checkout-style plastic bags, order bags which:
- match the dimensions of the current ‘green’ bag (height 33cm, base 30cm x 20cm)
- are made from durable material with strong handles, hooks and a firm, rectangular base
- preferably have clear washing instructions printed on them.
- Use common sense and do not overfill bags.
- Instruct staff to politely decline any customers’ bags which are dirty or damaged.
- If possible, review your checkout, counter and workplace design to accommodate the packing and use of reusable bags.
Where can I get more information?
If you have any questions about the legislation and how to answer customer enquiries, please contact:
Email:Contact Form
Web site: byobags.com.au