Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
Martin50  
#1 Posted : 30 July 2013 17:10:49(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Martin50

I have an interview for a Health and Safety Officer Role with a major retailer, and just want to make sure that I have all the bases covered. Premises wise, Asbestos, Fire, Electric, Gas, water. Operations, use of pallet trucks, deliveries, manual handling, use of step ladders, equipment, staff training, especially part time staff. First Aid. Control of contractors. Slips trips falls, use of knives. Have I missed anything? What would be the key objectives in the role? Just want to be prepared. Thanks all.
David Bannister  
#2 Posted : 30 July 2013 18:35:04(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
David Bannister

Customers, customers, customers. They fall, trip, slip, walk in to things, get hit by falling shop fittings, can get very stroppy when challenged, are unfamiliar with layout, emergency exits, get checkout rage - and that's the real stuff, not the alleged incidents that suddenly materialise from shyster claims-manufacturing outfits. And then contractors turn up... Martin, your list is fine for employees. Key objective: to allow staff and customers to get on with buying, selling and buying, safely.
DP  
#3 Posted : 30 July 2013 19:52:29(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
DP

Martin pm me and I'll call you
firesafety101  
#4 Posted : 30 July 2013 20:56:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

Martin, I would search the web for as much info as I could find about the company. Try the who, what, where etc. approach, I'm sure there will be someone on the panel who will ask you about what you know about them. Good luck.
Lisa Boulton  
#5 Posted : 31 July 2013 12:02:16(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Lisa Boulton

In addition to the premises: legionella, cooling towers, security, radon, procedures for all the things you have mentioned, different types of workplaces shops, showrooms, distribution centres, storage facilities, deliveries. Are there specifics to this retailer such as food handling, food storage, instore restaurant? Staff: temporary staff at busy times (Christmas), H&S my have some involvement with working hours, breaks, rest areas. Also aggression and violence, pregnant workers, disabilities, ill health, RIDDOR Other things: equipment maintenance, think tills and scanners (lasers/radiation) Not in retail, so just off the top of my head, I would also pop into one of their stores to get some ideas. Good Luck with the interview. Lisa B
Graham Bullough  
#6 Posted : 01 August 2013 14:07:27(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Graham Bullough

Martin50 Some people might disagree but I don't think you need to cover every conceivable topic which affects the retail sector. If you haven't worked in the retail sector before, the interviewers wouldn't expect you to do so - their main aim is to gauge/assess what transferable abilities, knowledge and experience, etc (e.g. initiative, ability to work unsupervised and/or in a team) you've already got in comparison with the other interviewees, and then select whoever they think is best suited to the job in their organisation. The fact that you've been selected for interview out of probably many applicants is a positive one: The organisation will have looked through the various application forms it has received and decided from the information on yours that you're worth interviewing. Also, though I've no experience of the retail sector, the topics you've listed strike me as being fairly comprehensive. As a major retail organisation, it's very likely that the company already employs a number of experienced OS&H people and that one or more of them will be involved in the selection process including the interview. For you and anyone else facing job interviews, another general slice of advice is to bear in mind that while the prospective employer organisation is assessing you as a potential employee, you in return will tend, consciously or otherwise, to be assessing it as a potential employer in various ways. These could include the individuals you are likely to be working for and/or with, plus slightly less tangible aspects such as its safety culture. Therefore, if the selection process doesn't already include an informal opportunity to meet potential colleagues, it might well be appropriate during your interview to ask if this would be feasible at some stage. Ultimately, if you are offered the job, you will know, partly from 'gut feeling', whether to accept it or even say no. After all, though you'll have gone through one or more formal/semi-formal verbal interview procedures, the whole recruitment process can and should be thought of as an interview during which you and the potential employer weigh each other up! Depending on their circumstances, especially at times when good jobs are hard to get, job candidates who don't relish what they find out about the their prospective roles and employers, might think it appropriate to accept unrelished jobs in order to earn a living and keep gaining experience until they can get what they regard as better/more desirable jobs. p.s. I had intended to post this response earlier this week but was delayed by the fact that my usually reliable internet access stopped working for some unknown reason on Tuesday evening, worked very sporadically yesterday and resumed several hours ago. Therefore, Martin, I hope the interview goes or went well for you. Another thought - If you don't get offered the job, perhaps it and the organisation weren't really for you. If so, the interview and other aspects like deciding what to include on your application form will still have comprised useful experience as regards future interviews and applications. Also, some organisations are willing to give constructive feedback after interviews to those who were not offered the jobs involved. It's not unknown for a chosen candidate to decline a job offer and for some time to elapse, e.g. because of holidays, before the job can be offered to the second choice of candidate. Also, in circumstances where someone starts a job and decides to leave soon afterwards, the employer might well decide to contact the next best recent interviewee/s to ask if they would still be interested in the job.
jwk  
#7 Posted : 01 August 2013 17:17:22(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jwk

Martin, hope I'm not too late. In my retail experience the biggest single issue is management of space; is the stock nicely and neatly stored where it should be or is it taking over every available nook and cranny? It depends what the stock is of course, but I'm in Charity retailing (400+ shops and a £40 million turnover, so no small fry), and what our shop managers call stock I call fuel. Fire officers will visit shops (of all descriptions) just before Xmas and look for blocked fire exits, obscured fire extinguishers and the like. Apart from that, everything everybody else has said rings very true, John
Users browsing this topic
Guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.