Safety

Retailers are often faced with protests by striking workers or picketing consumers that can lead to potentially damaging publicity. An analysis of security mistakes by retailers provides a number of useful ideas for both corporate and store-level employees for mitigating damaging fallout from protests.

The Security Executive Council, which tracks trends among security practitioners, has identified seven issues that have challenged security leaders over the last 12 months.   ...

“When companies have been proactive in security, that is not a case I want to have. I want the path of least resistance.” For him, that means inaction by a company that will indicate to a jury that it disregarded people’s safety. These are the companies that lose security lawsuits.

A job termination is an especially delicate task—one that should follow a specific security game plan every time it happens.

For those charged with protecting company assets, a couple of recent news items raised red flags about dishonest insiders. Multiple studies underscore the risk from dishonest insiders and found that an important security tactic—the “two-person rule”—isn’t always enough. The research also provide insights into how employees rationalize dishonest behavior.

From 2011 to 2017, 614 workers lost their lives in forklift-related incidents and more than 7,000 nonfatal injuries with days away from work occurred every year. Safety leaders have learned through investigations that accidents often occur even when forklift drivers do everything right.

Jay Mealing is the typical Walmart Cinderella story. He started in the Garden Center as an hourly associate in 1990 at a store in Columbia, South Carolina. Almost 30 years later, he is senior director of global security for Walmart International. Not bad for a country boy from South Carolina. Read his story.

Mindless though most Internet chatter is, paying attention to what is being said online has become critical for retailers today—to protect brands, avert threats, respond to crisis, and improve store operations. Most recently—and dramatically—the imperative was underscored when multiple active shooter plots against retailers were averted after threatening online posts came to light.

There are a lot of challenges that American retailers face these days. Among them is one that continues to impact their bottom line—safety-related lawsuits. This is incredibly frustrating because it is completely preventable if only store-level employees would stick to the rules.

Convenience store cashiers, security guards, overnight stockers, and even some warehouse employees present special security and safety issues that experts say are often overlooked. Here is a comprehensive look at assessing the risks for remote or solitary workers, some technology solutions, and best practices from security leaders and safety experts.