Aren't shops safe and healthy places to work?

Not necessarily. People who work in the retail sector face a number of significant workplace hazards, including:

• Violence – because they work with cash and often work at night, shop workers are targets for violent crime.
• Back injuries, from lifting or carrying heavy loads.  See workSMART's section on back pain.
• Repetitive strain injury, because not all supermarket checkouts are ergonomically designed. See workSMART's repetitive strain injury section.
• Slips and trips, because spills are not cleaned up quickly.