During the recent NACS webinar “Creating a Culture of Safety” retailers discussed how convenience operators can prepare their workforce for store security situations and prioritize employee safety.

“We take worst-case scenarios and create a safety protocol around it. [EG America] makes sure our safety protocols meet and exceed what’s there, and also that they are sustainable and easy to follow. We also make sure they do not create barriers to other productivity,” said Jeremy Zenlea, vice president of health and safety at EG America.

Store safety has to be embedded in the culture by fostering an environment where employee well-being, customer safety and operational security are prioritized, the experts explained. This commitment extends beyond compliance with regulations to embedding safety as a core value across all levels of the organization.

“In employees’ orientation training, we give any employee the authority to cordon off or prevent access to any location or situation that is hazardous. They can shut down a restroom or shut down a piece of equipment. Employees know we are concerned about safety, so they know that they are not going to get into trouble for mentioning additional areas of concern to superiors,” said Rob Forsyth, president of Moto Mart.

Training is a critical way to empower employees with the tools they need. “We worked with our retailers and created a way to give them safety content when they need it and where they need it. We’ve shrunk about 70% of our content to be under eight minutes. We’re working to minimize content in this YouTube society,” said Jeff Kahler, president of Ready Training Online, which creates safety content for retailers.

The Creating a Culture of Safety webinar is available to watch online.