Asda has produced a health and safety manual called “The Asda Way of Working” which it will distribute to all companies within its supply chain, as well as other supermarkets and retailers.
It has also has assembled a retail health and safety forum with other supermarket chains to discuss and share best practice.
Within the manual, Clive Johnson, Asda’s health, safety and environmental manager has identified the value of input from trade associations and has highlighted the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association.
SEMA’s spokesman Mike Tucker said: “We are delighted that Asda, in association with many more suppliers and retailers, will be specifying the Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme [an initiative set up by SEMA that is supported by the Health & Safety Executive].
“To ensure that risks are minimised and work-related accidents in the warehousing and storage sector can be prevented, we cannot emphasise the importance of understanding and implementing safety standards too highly.”
Johnson added: “We included SEIRS within our Asda Way of Working manual to alert and inform our suppliers in order to ensure our storage systems are consistently the safest and the best. Not only does SEIRS provide guidelines for installing storage equipment, relevant codes of practice, an ID card and registration system, the scheme offers safety training courses for installers too.
“As you can imagine, with over 300 stores, Asda’s warehouse infrastructure is vast and complex. Therefore knowing that it’s being supplied to current standards and that equipment is being installed by trained personnel is immensely reassuring.”