How to Run a Flower Shop (2)-Health and Safety

HEALTH AND SAFETY

An experienced florist will be expected to monitor health and safety in accordance to the relevant rules and regulations. Below are highlighted of some of the regulations related to a flower shop:

1. COSHH - Amended in 2002, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations aims to protect both employees and others who may be exposed to hazardous substances or chemicals at work, such as adhesive, paints, cleaning agents, and bacteria. The COSHH sets out eight basic step by step guidelines for employers, and sometimes employees to take in order to assess risks, decide and implement measures needed to control exposure and establish good working practices, for example, training or using warning labels.

2. PPE – Personal Protective Equipment refers to all protective equipment including clothing, to be worn or held by a person at work to protect him/her against risks of health and safety including electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, pollution and infection.

3. RIDDOR – Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 1995, all employers, self-employed people and people in control of premises must report work-related deaths or diseases, major injuries or over three-day injuries, and dangerous occurrences (near miss accidents) by calling the Incident Contact Centre (ICC). The information enables the enforcing authorities to identify and investigate serious accidents, and advise and prevent future accidental loss.

In flower shops, owners /senior florists should:

• Maintain health and safety of the working environment in accordance with relevant legal and organisational requirements.
• Keep abreast of the current legal and organisational rules and regulations regarding health and safety.
• Conduct a risk assessment in the shop prior to work activities. The areas on a risk assessment should include environmental factors such as lighting, heating, sunlight, tripping, falling hazards, dangerous cables and spillage; and structural hazards such as a big falling sign outside the shop. Review and up-date when necessary.
• Identify the hazards and decide who might be harmed and how. There are differences between hazard and risk.
• Evaluate risks and decide on the precautions. Risks can be controlled by elimination, substitution, engineering controls, safe systems of work, training, instruction and use of personal protective equipment. All findings should be recorded and implemented.
• Communicate - to ensure everyone in the work place is aware of the risks and understand the procedures when accidents occur. Make sure all staff know about the fire exits and fire alarm.
• Establish safe working practices – such as safe methods of using and storing equipment and materials. Inform staff of how hazardous and non-hazardous waste should be managed, for example, broken glass should be first safely wrapped in layers of paper and marked broken glass on top, before disposing, it should placed into the outside bin, and make everybody aware of it, if you share the bin with other shops, make sure they know about it. Wash hands after handling poisonous flower materials such as Eucalyptus. Lifting boxes and heavy items safely; using spray paint in a well-ventilated area; not to place floral foams over your eye level; heavy items should be placed on the lowest shelves. Ensure fire extinguishers and fire alarms are fitted; and wear closed toes shoes at work.
• To introduce an accident book to record all potential and actual accidents, and take measure to control them.

 

Tomorrow, I will be talking about staff management.