Health and Safety
Ensuring the health and safety of everyone who uses any of Debenhams’ premises – employees, customers, visitors etc. – is one of the most important functions we perform.
The Executive Health and Safety Committee is chaired by Nigel Palmer, Retail Operations Director, and meets once a quarter to review major health and safety matters. Meetings are attended by representatives from training, food services, store development, internal audit, insurance, building services and head office facilities. The minutes of these meetings are circulated to all areas of the business and used as part of each location’s own health and safety meetings.
In stores, health and safety is the responsibility of the store manager (assisted by the selling support manager and technical services manager) and in head office responsibility lies with the facilities manager. Relevant employees receive training on risk assessment and are encouraged to take an additional course in supervising health and safety. Every employee receives health and safety training as part of their induction programme.
Debenhams employs a number of specialist personnel in this area. These include an environmental health and safety manager, a food product quality assurance manager and a number of product technologists who manage the application of policies and procedures with regard to health and safety, food safety and product safety and quality.
Debenhams has partnered with a number of local authorities in health and safety. A Lead Authority Partnership with Luton Borough Council considers and comments on our policies and procedures and acts as a focal point for contact from other local authorities on health and safety issues. On matters of food safety and training, we have a partnership with Westminster City Council which provides guidance on the development and implementation of the Safer Food Safer Business procedures adopted by our food services division.
Reviews of store health and safety performance are undertaken by Debenhams’ risk management team as part of our internal audit process. All stores are reviewed every two years, with high risk stores reviewed annually. The outcome of the review is discussed by the store manager, the regional sales director and the risk management and any required remedial action will be undertaken.
We record and monitor our performance in relation to the number and nature of accidents reportable to the enforcing authority. Despite the addition of a number of new stores in recent years which have increased the numbers of both employees and customers who use our premises, we have continued to demonstrate an encouragingly low level of major accidents and incidents.
Print Page