List of Noticeable Public Safety Hazards in Convenience Stores

• A convenience store might be small, but it can still contain plenty of hazards.store sign image by Wolfgang Zintl from Fotolia.com
  
  Convenience stores are small shops which sell items such as drinks, sandwiches, groceries and cigarettes, typically to local people living within a few minutes walk or drive from the store. Convenience stores are work environments, and members of the public should remember that safety hazards might be presented inadvertently by staff, visitors or by the store environment itself. The public should be vigilant while shopping to avoid injury.
  
  

Falling Stock

• Over-cluttered areas in a convenience store can present a hazard to the public. If too much stock is stored in a pile or on a shelf, particularly on a high shelf, an item could be knocked onto a member of the public, causing an injury. Minors and the elderly are at most risk from this kind of safety hazard, since they are more likely to be reaching to grab a particular item, disturbing badly positioned stock. Convenience store staff should ensure that shelves aren't teeming with excess stock, and that stock is positioned where it's less likely to be accidentally bumped.
  
  

Floor Hazards

• A convenience store's floor can become wet for a variety of reasons, such as incoming rain water, a stock spillage, melt-water from the store freezer, or cleaning. Staff should ensure that appropriate action is taken whenever wet floors occur; the freezer area should be checked regularly, and warning signs should be put up around recently cleaned areas to alert customers to hazards.
  
  The store floor might also be obscured by stock, creating a safety hazard for customers trying to move across the store at busy times. Unaware members of the public might trip and fall over badly positioned items, leading to bruising or sprains.
  
  

Delivery Vehicles

• Convenience stores, like any other kind of shop, must take regular deliveries. Since convenience stores aren't huge, they typically don't have much room for arriving delivery vans, so the public must be on the look-out for reversing or parking delivery vehicles when entering or leaving a convenience store. Customers risk being struck by a vehicle if they're not careful. Store owners can reduce the risk by arranging for deliveries outside of store opening hours, as the Health and Safety Executive U.K. website suggests.
  
  

Flammable Goods

• Convenience stores may stock products which are flammable. These may include lighters, aerosol cans such as spray deodorants, and potentially car oil canisters and related products if the store is attached to a garage or gas station facility. Although these items are not likely to be a risk while packaged, members of the public should still be aware of the risks involved in handling these goods. Staff should be vigilant about kids playing around with matches, for instance, while in the store.