Protecting Visitors From Hazards

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Here are some key points.

• Customers and other visitors may not be aware of our potential hazards.
• Practice good housekeeping to reduce the chances of injury.
• Keep an eye out for unattended children.
• Never let a visitor operate or ride on our equipment.

Potential hazards for visitors

• Safety for our customers and other visitors may not be an issue that you think much about.
• Yet some of the same hazards that can result in injury to us can injure a visitor as well.
• Often, the risk to visitors is even greater, because they aren’t trained in safety and aren’t familiar with the equipment we use.
• Visitors may also have children with them – and these children may get too close to hazardous equipment or machinery, slip and fall when running on a wet floor, or for some other reason get hurt.
• Among the ways our visitors, contractors or customers may get injured are:
• by tripping and falling due to our poor housekeeping
• by failing to pick up tools; leaving empty boxes on stairs or on the floor; not closing doors; or leaving hoses or electrical cords in walkways
• by slipping and falling on wet, slippery, or uneven surfaces
• by getting too close to moving equipment or machinery
• by running into objects due to poor lighting or inadequate spacing between shelves
• by getting struck by boxes that were poorly stacked on shelves
• by lifting odd-shaped or heavy loads by themselves

Parking and loading areas

• Parking areas can be very dangerous because of traffic moving in and out.
• At retail operations, shopping carts may be left unattended and a customer may back into them or they may roll into a customer’s parked truck or car.
• Loading docks are especially dangerous, due to trucks pulling in and out.
• If you work in a loading dock area, be sure that you never back up a truck or forklift without first sounding your horn and checking behind you.
• Immediately notify your supervisor if you spot any potential hazards in our parking areas or see a child or other unauthorized visitor in a loading dock area.

Children and older visitors

• Children and older adults are at risk of getting injured for a number of reasons.
• In the case of young children, they may be left unattended by their parents and may run into something or wind up in a hazardous area.
• Children are naturally curious, and they may knock down a breakable display, open a chemical container, or step in front of a moving vehicle.
• Older adults may fall on a slippery floor, or may run into a bench or other object if our lighting is not good.
• If the customer is frail, a fall could be deadly – or, at a minimum, result in broken bones.
• Be sure to immediately notify a supervisor or other manager if you see a child left unattended or if an older visitor appears to need help.

More important safety tips

1. Always be on the lookout for the whereabouts of customers and other visitors.
2. Pay close attention to our “keep out” and other warning signs. Immediately let your supervisor or another manager know if you spot an unauthorized person in one of these areas or if a warning sign is missing.
3. If you see a child running through our operation, tell the child to stop. Let the child know you’re concerned that he or she could get hurt.
4. Immediately let a supervisor or other manager know if you see a child who is unattended by an adult.
5. Become familiar with our emergency procedures. Know when to dial 911, and know who in our operation is trained in first aid and in CPR.
6. Practice good housekeeping. Keep clutter off the floor, and immediately wipe up spills. Follow our company procedures if it is a chemical spill.
7. Never let a customer or other visitor operate or ride as a passenger on any of our equipment, such as forklifts or tractors. Politely let the visitor know that this is a violation of our safety rules.
8. Know the location of our nearest first aid stations, fire extinguishers and material safety data sheets.

Protecting Visitors Do’s and Don’ts

Do

• Think about the safety of our customers and other visitors.
• Know where our visitors are NOT authorized to be.
• Practice good housekeeping to reduce the risk of injuries.

• Never let visitors operate or ride on our equipment.
• Neglect to approach a child who is running and tell the child to stop.
• Leave carts or other objects in parking areas.

When you’re ready to work safely, you’re ready to work. See our full line of safety supplies, including respirators, eye and ear protection, coveralls, first aid and more.

Download a printable PDF version of these training tips for use in employee training.
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