As it’s revealed that the month of May saw continued deflation, Pallet Trucks UK, one of the country’s leading providers of pallet trucks and other manual handling equipment to a range of sectors, is urging businesses to make health and safety their top priority to avoid costly accidents and ill health as high street sales continue to decline.
As shops continue to struggle, the importance of making sure workers are safe cannot be underestimated. Every year, thousands of individuals suffer accidents whilst at work – and most of these could be avoided. Investing in good quality equipment is imperative for businesses to ensure they provide a safe and secure working atmosphere and help to avoid accidents as a result of a lack of or poor equipment.
Although an initial lay-out, investing in correct equipment can save businesses and retailers money in the long-run. Phil Chesworth from Pallet Trucks UK said, “The importance of health and safety in the workplace cannot be underestimated. Particularly important to the industries we supply to, investing in the correct equipment makes potentially hazardous environments much safer. Those who fail to supply correct equipment – or those who use old and outdated equipment and machinery are not only putting their workers in danger, they’re also running the risk of paying out thousands, if not millions of pounds in compensation.”
According to the HSE, musculoskeletal disorders caused by manual handing is one of the main culprits of work-related injuries, with high rates in building, construction and postal and courier trades. There are currently around 1.2 million working people suffering from a work-related illness in the UK, and the estimated cost of injuries and ill health as a result of current working conditions is £14.3 billion.
Overall shop prices revealed a deflation of 1.8% during May, which compared to a 1.7% decrease in April. Highlighting the high street’s struggle to recover since the festive period – which many retailers hoped would end as the warmer weather set in, sales continued to fall.
