Experiences of near misses and safety risks at work - A qualitative analysis among a convenience sample of Finnish retail sector employees.

BackgroundGlobally, the retail sector is one of the largest employers. Due to its size, occupational accidents within the sector pose high costs due to absences. However, research on near misses or safety risks at work is currently insufficient.ObjectiveTo study retail sector employees' experiences of near misses and safety risks at work.MethodsWe conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with 36 retail sector employees (34 women and 2 men) from supermarkets, convenience stores, and service station stores across five regions in Finland between April and June 2024. A descriptive design based on the Critical Incident Technique and data-driven qualitative content analysis was used.ResultsA total of 49 reported near misses or safety risks at work constituted four main categories: slips, trips, and falls (n = 18, mentioned by 37% of the respondents), material handling incidents (n = 13, 27%), encounters with threatening customers (n = 11, 22%), and customers in danger (n = 7, 14%). Examples of situations preceding the near misses or accidents included water or grease on the floor, slippery floor materials, unnoticed obstacles, packing goods onto shelves and unpacking loads, inadequately packed products, aggressive or intoxicated customers, shoplifters, and customer collisions or medical emergencies.ConclusionsSituations associated with near misses and safety risks in retail work included slips, trips, and falls, material handling incidents, encounters with threatening customers, and situations involving customers in danger. These identified situations provide a basis for developing and implementing effective safety improvements at both the individual and organizational levels within this industry.