News

UNI Europa and EuroCommerce have just published joint project report entitled ‘Addressing physical and psychological risks in the retail and wholesale sector’.

The report is the product of a joint project and the results of a survey of members and affiliates. The survey has been able to pinpoint a number of areas of risk in ergonomics, stress at work and psychosocial problems, and set out examples of innovative ways to tackle these issues in social partnership, improving workers’ wellbeing and safety. These included initiatives to avoid unnecessary strain when stacking shelves, identifying risk hotspots in stores, reducing repetitive strain from staying in one position, and designing stores to reduce the risk of customers subjecting staff to verbal or even physical violence, and providing professional psychological sup­port and advice where staff have experienced this.

UNI Europa and EuroCommerce recommend the findings of the study and the conclusions drawn from it in this guide to compa­nies of all sizes and areas of business. Ensuring staff can work in a safe and secure envi­ronment helps workers perform at their best, and businesses to provide the service which they need to attract and retain their customers.

Read the full project report here