The document summarizes a study that assessed compliance with health and safety legislation in five Irish retail stores. An audit was conducted evaluating seven aspects of health and safety, including management practices, facilities, fire safety, manual handling, first aid, and employee welfare. Surface ATP tests were also used to assess hygiene levels in high-contact areas. Employee questionnaires explored attitudes toward health and safety. The audit found questionable compliance with some legal requirements, though most stores had safety statements and provisions. ATP tests revealed higher contamination levels than acceptable thresholds in some areas like cash registers and restrooms. Employees generally reported being satisfied with safety and welfare provisions. The study concluded that while retail has low risks, hazards still exist, and greater compliance with legislation could

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Abstract
Retailing is one of any economy's most visible activities. Retailing is Ireland’s
largest industry, employing over 275,000 people. 73% of Ireland's 42,000 active
wholesale and retail enterprises employ 10 people or less (Retail Ireland, 2016). The
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and associated regulations ensure
employers provide the duty of care that is owed to their employees. The aim of this
study is to assess the level in which five retail stores comply with the requirements of
the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and the Safety, Health and Welfare
at Work (General Application) Regulations, 2007.
An extensive workplace health and safety audit, incorporating seven aspects of the
workplace, including: management of health and safety, ‘front of house’, ‘back of
house’, fire safety, manual handling, first-aid and welfare facilities (rest facilities
and sanitary facilities) was used to assess the compliance with current legislation.
Conjointly, surface ATP test swabs were completed on ten surfaces within each
retail store including the cash register area, rest facilities and the sanitary facilities
to assess the hygiene standard of the retail stores workplace. To gain an insight into
attitudes of workplace health and safety an employee questionnaire was distributed.
Compliance with the current legislation was questionable, although 4/5 retail stores
had developed safety statements, three of which were not signed by the responsible
person and 4/5 retail stores safety policies were not signed. First-aid availability was
evident in 4/5 retail stores indicating employers regard for the safety and welfare of
their employees. Manual handling training was poor in Retail Store 3 as the company
did not provide any training for new employees. Visually, the employee’s welfare
facilities were of a satisfactory standard. However, the Luminometer results showed
otherwise, with much of the swabbed areas in these areas exceeding the 300 Relative
Light Unit value threshold of being considered ‘clean’. The general consensus from
the employee questionnaire was positive and results showed that employees were
satisfied with most of the safety, health and welfare provisions in their workplace.
Generally, a low-risk sector, hazards still exist and with such a high employment level,
greater regard from national agencies through regular auditing or greater guidance as
seen in the higher risk sectors with regards to workplace health and safety could results
in greater compliance with the current legislation applicable to this sector.

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Table of Contents
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………… I
Table of Contents ……………………………………………............................................ II
Table of Illustrations ………………………………………………………………............V
Acknowledgments ………………………….…………………………………….............VI
Declaration ……………………………………………………………………...……….VII
1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................5
1.1 Health and Safety Authority...............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2 Legislation........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2.1 The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005Error! Bookmark not
defined.
1.2.2 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regs 2007 .Error!
Bookmark not defined.
1.3 Risk Assessment................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.1 What is a risk assessment?...........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.4 Safety Statement................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.5 Safety and Health Policy.....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.6 Workplace Housekeeping and Safety...................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.6.1 Why Pay Attention to Housekeeping at Work? .......... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
1.6.2 Workplace Cleanliness Revealed .................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.6.3 Workplace Cleaning Schedule .....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.7 Non-Fatal Injury Statistics (Housekeeping and Safety) ...... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
1.8 Fire Safety.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.8.1 Fire Extinguishers.......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.8.2 Fire Detection.............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.8.3 Fire Warning ..............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.8.4 Means of Escape.........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.8.5 Evacuation .................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.9 Manual Handling ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.9.1 Non-Fatal Injury Statistics (Manual- Handling) ………………………………. 18
1.10 First-Aid ……………………………………………………………………….…19
1.11 Welfare Facilities…………………………………………………………………20
1.11.1 General Welfare Requirements ....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.11.2 Rest Rooms and Rest Areas.........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.11.3 Sanitary and Washing Facilities ...................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.11.4 Case Study - UK Retail Company Condemned for 'Victorian' Working
Conditions.................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1.12 Hygiene Monitoring ...........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.12.1 Adenosine Triphosphate Bioluminescence MonitoringError! Bookmark not
defined.
1.13 Why Choose Adenosine Triphosphate?................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. METHODS .............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1 Selection of Participating Retail Stores .........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.2 Completion of Fieldwork.............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2 Sample Size ................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2.1 Surface ATP Test Swabbing ........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2.2 Employee Questionnaire..............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.3 Workplace Health and Safety Audit Checklist ...............Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.3.1 Workplace Health and Safety Audit Scoring System .. Error! Bookmark not
defined.
2.4 Surface ATP Test Swabbing ........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.4.1 ATP Bioluminescence Principle...................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.5 Selection of Surface ATP Test Swabbing Areas ............Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.6 Surface ATP Test Swab Procedure ...............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.7 Interpretation of Results...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.8 Workplace Health and Safety Employee Questionnaire..Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.9 Pilot Study..................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.9.1 Workplace Health and Safety Audit Checklist .....Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.9.2 Pilot Study of 3M Clean-Trace System...............Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.9.3 Pilot Study of Workplace Health and Safety Employee Questionnaire ........Error!
Bookmark not defined.
2.10 Excel........................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3. RESULTS ...............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1 Workplace Health and Safety Audit Checklist Results ...Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.2 Interpretation of Workplace Health and Safety Audit........ Error! Bookmark not
defined.
3.1.3 Management of Health and Safety......................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.4 Retail Store – Front of House.............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.5 Retail Store – Back of House .............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.6 Fire Safety........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.7 Manual Handling...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.8 First-Aid...........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.9 Rest Facilities ...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.10 Sanitary and Washing Facilities........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2 3M Clean-Trace Luminometer Results.........................Error! Bookmark not defined.

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3.2 Interpretation of 3M Clean-Trace Luminometer ResultsError! Bookmark not defined.
3.2.1 Cash Register Area............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2.2 Washing and Sanitary Facilities..........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2.3 Rest Facilities ...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3 Workplace Health and Safety Employee Questionnaire..Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.1 Safety Statement ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.2 Health and Safety Induction Training..................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.3 Provision of Instruction/Training to Carry Out Workplace Tasks Safely......Error!
Bookmark not defined.
3.3.4 Feeling Unsafe When Performing Workplace Tasks ......... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
3.3.5 Workplace Accidents.........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.6 Emergency Evacuation Plan...............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.7 First-Aid Box....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.8 Manual Handling Training .................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.9 Rest Facilities (Break-Room).............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3.10 Sanitary and Washing Facilities........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4. DISCUSSION ...........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1 Workplace Health and Safety Audit (WHSA) Checklist .Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1.2 Retail Store – Front of House/Back of House Comparison Error! Bookmark not
defined.
4.1.3 Attitudes to Fire Safety......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1.4 Workplace Cleaning Schedule............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2 Cash Register Area Cleanliness ....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2.1 Retail Store Phone Cleanliness ...........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2.2 Rest Facilities Cleanliness..................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.3 Workplace Accidents & First-Aid.................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.4 Manual Handling Provision and Attitudes .....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.5 Cleanliness of Sanitary and Washing Facilities..............Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………….72
6. RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
7. REFERENCES.......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Table of Illustrations
Figure 1.6. - 1: Time use on an average work day for employed persons’ ages 25 to 54 with
Children 12
Figure 1.8.2 – 1:Types of Fire Extinguishers That Work on Each Type of Fire 16
Table 1.10. – 1: Recommended Contents of Occupational First Aid Boxes and Kits 20
Table 1.11.3 – 1: Sanitary Facilities for Males and Females (if there are no urinals) 22
Figure 1.12.1 – 1: Elements used in Bioluminescence Mechanism
2Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 1.12.1 – 2: ChemicalReaction of the ATP-bioluminescence Method/ Bio-Residue
Detection Method 25
Table 2.1. – 1: RetailStore Premise Profile 28
Table 2.2.2 – 1: Sample sizes of Respondents 30
Figure 2.6 – 1: Surface ATP Test Swab Procedure Breakdown 35
Table 2.7. – 1: Interpretation of 3M Clean-Trace results 35
Table 3.1. – 1: Breakdown of Workplace Health & Safety Audit Sections 39
Table 3.1. – 2: Legend applicable to Workplace Health & Safety Audit Checklist Results 39
Table 3.1 – 1: Management of Health and Safety Results for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.0
Table 3.1 – 2: Maintenance of ‘Front of House’ for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.2
Table 3.1 – 3: WHSA Checklist – Maintenance of ‘Back of House’ for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.3
Table 3.1 – 4: WHSA Checklist – Fire Safety Preparedness for all Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Table 3.1 – 5: WHSA Checklist – Manual Handling Results for All Premise
Error! Bookmark not defined.5

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Table 3.1 – 6: WHSA Checklist - First-Aid Availability Results for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Table 3.1 – 7: WHSA Checklist - Rest Facilities Results for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.8
Table 3.1 – 8: WHSA Checklist -Sanitary and Washing Facilities Results for All Premises
Error! Bookmark not defined.8
Table 3.1 - 9: OverallWorkplace Health and Safety Audit (WHSA) Results 49
Figure 3.2 – 1: Location of Surface ATP Test Swabs 53
Figure 3.2 - 2: Interpretation of 3M Clean-Trace results 53
Table 3.2. – 1: Luminometer Results of Cash Register Area for All Premises 54
Table 3.2 – 2: Luminometer Results of Washing and Sanitary Facilities for All Premises 55
Table 3.2 – 3: Luminometer Results of Rest Facilities for All Premises 56
Figure 3.3.3. – 1: Provision of Instruction/Training to Carry Out Work Tasks Safely 60
Figure 3.3.9. – 1: Standard of Workplace Rest Facilities 62
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would firstly like to thank my family and friends for their support, patience and
consideration over the past four years, their encouragement has greatly helped with
the completion of this research project.
I would like to express my gratitude towards the five retail companies who participated
in the project, without their cooperation and willingness to partake, the study would
not have been able to be completed.
Finally, I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor, Sara Boyd, your guidance,
encouragement and knowledge of the subject has been of great benefit in the
completion of the overall project.

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DECLARATION
I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit in part fulfilment for the award
of B.Sc. (Environmental Health), is entirely my own work and has not been taken from
the work of others save to the extent such work has been cited and acknowledge within
the text of my work.
Signed ________________________
Candidate
Date _________________________

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