陈逸雯 Risk Control
1. There are 6 steps we would take to conduct Risk Management in Starbucks
1) The methods of identifying hazards are as followings:
a. Work place inspections-we will often use a checklist to identify unsafe workspaces, faulty machinery, hazardous processes or materials (such as chemicals) being used.
b. Consultation with Starbucks workers and officers-They are most likely to know what the hazards are as they are carrying out the work each day.
c. Reviewing information from industry bodies, safety organizations to identify best practice methods of managing hazards. For example, Starbucks can identify the hazards from its unique club-Starbucks Rewards. They also can get the hazardous materials from past evaluation systems.
2) How to assess Starbucks’ risks？
a. We will analyze the risks’ likelihood and consider the severity of consequence to hazards in Starbucks.
To determine likelihood the following questions should be considered.
· How often are people exposed to the hazard？
· How long are people exposed?
· How effective are the current risk control measures?
· Is it possible that changes in the way work is completed may increase exposure?
· Will worker behavior increase the possibility of an incident?
· Will worker experience and training levels make it more likely for an incident to occur?
To determine severity consequence the following questions should be considered?
· What type of harm could occur?
· Could the hazard cause death, severe injury, damage to plant and equipment, illness, minor injury or first aid treatment?
· Will the harm occur immediately or will it take some time to be noticed?
· Could one incident lead to another?
· Will people other than workers be affected by the incident?
b. Evaluation-We will evaluate the risks in Starbucks.
Risk ranking-we will divide the risks into different ratings: high, middle, low.
According to the degree of urgency and importance of the risks, we will make a list.
The more urgent and important risk is, the faster we need to solve it in Starbucks.
3) Consider the control options
It is necessary for us to consider the control options by the codes of practice.
Level1- Eliminate Starbucks’ hazard
Level2- Substitute Starbucks’ hazards with something safer isolate the hazard from people.
Reduce the risks through engineering controls.
Level3- Reduce exposure to the Starbucks’ hazard using administrative actions.
Use personal protective equipment.
4) Decide on and implement the control options?
Our measure of control chosen should provide the highest level of protection possible and it is most consistent. The control options should also be appropriate to Starbucks’ environment and our workers.
5) Monitor risks, review control measures, improve risk control measures
It is important to review the control measures that are put into Starbucks to ensure that they remain the most effective in eliminating or minimizing risk to workers. It is important to check that the risk controls have not unknowingly increased the risk to workers.
Reviewing control needs to be done proactively. Reviews need to be completed when:
· The control measures are ineffective
· If a new hazard is identified
· If a HSR requests a review.
6) We will consult with Starbucks’ partners (workers) go through the whole process.
Consultation is important for organizations as a compliance and legislative requirement.
It’s a two-way communication. It’s a process of information sharing. Starbucks get the staff involved for decision making about WHS. Staffs’ ideas and suggestions is considered to make contributes to the final decision. Three main forms of consultation are Health and safety representatives, Health and safety committees and arrangements that suit the specific characteristics of the Starbucks and our staffs.
2.
1) The coffee is so hot that it may hurt customers’ mouths.
Our solutions of the hazard are as followings:
· Our waiters give warm verbal warnings with smile.
· Saucer provided with our original tips
· Rim of cup are lengthened suitably and cap of rim are painted green，in order to play a warning role
The reasons why we choose these control methods are:
· Let customer keep good feeling and never feel disappointed because of some unexpected thing such as emprises.
· The new-added section chimes with our brand Image, improve image points of our thoughtfulness service that we provide.
2) Operation desk is too high and equipment are stacked high that block line of sight between customers and workers. At the same time, the work space isn’t big enough to prepare during peak-hour.
Our solutions of the hazard are as followings:
· Reduce the height of the operation desk.
· Transfer unnecessary equipment to somewhere else.
· Increase the size of the workspace.
· Set up two-operation desk or more in some prosperous brunches.
The reasons why we choose these control methods are:
· Improve commutation between customers and waiters.
· We want to avoid causing confusion in workplace, such as Spill hot drinks, friction and collision, which may cause someone been hurt.
· Small and narrow workplace may reduce work efficiency, so we set up more operation desks and establish the clear-cut division of labor. Our main goal is to make customers feel convenience, reliability and attention.
3) The third hazard we found is that the cabinet of mugs is easy to be knocked down and the mugs will break to pieces on the ground.
Our solutions of the hazard are as followings:
· We set up a new area to put mugs in Starbucks.
· We change the material of the cabinet so that we get a heavier one, which can be prevented from falling down.
· We can put the plastic model of mugs on the cabinet
· With a consistent style, customized cabinet
· Not only make Starbucks look tidy and neat, but also provide sufficient storage space for mugs.
The reasons why we choose these control methods are:
· Let customers catch sight of mugs much more clearly.
· When the staffs are working, they can have a safer and more guaranteed working environment.
· Reduce the cost of broken mugs.
4) In Starbucks, the lights are always dim and the design of Starbucks is special and complicated, so the fourth hazard we found is that customers are likely to ignore the step indoor and hurt themselves.
Our solutions of the hazard are as followings:
· Some yellow, striking warnings can be stuck on the middle of the step in order to remind customers.
· Replace the step to the slope.
The reasons why we choose these control methods are:
· Avoid customers tripping and let them feel warm and thoughtful.
· We facilitate access to children, the old and the disabled.
3.
Level 1 is eliminating the hazards which can completely eradicate the hazard through some feasible methods.
Infers to the hazard about operation desk is too high and equipment are stacked high that block line of sight between customers and workers and for the following reasons, we put it into level 1:
These hazards mainly come from equipment, not cultural factors. The equipment can completed avoid likelihood of hazard through the way of improvement while cultural factors may infers so many aspects such as customers’ behavior which cannot be control easily. The methods we used to solve this hazard are controllability and stability. For example, we only need to make a design after we realize the hazard so that we can easily solve the communication problems. What’s more, to the well-sell brunch, we need to prepare equipment such as coffee machine and ice crusher for the new added operation desks.
We think we can eliminate the hazards completely through these methods.
Level 3 is reducing exposure to the hazard using administration actions. These control measures do not have an impact on the hazard at the source. These measures rely on human behavior to minimize risk. Level 3 controls should only be used as a last resort, as a temporary measure until high level controls can be implemented, or in addition to higher level controls.
According to the above definition, we think the hazard that hot coffee hurt customers’ mouth can be put into level 3.
To the methods, we increase some warm actions such as provide original tips, lengthen rim of cup, to warn customer ——be careful during enjoy coffee. But these hazards rely on customers’ behavior, we just can try our best to reduce these hazards, instead of avoid the likelihood. As an uncontrollable thing, it need our joint effort (both our workers and customers) to eliminate this hazards.
This is the best solutions that we have thought, and we are looking for better method, so we put it into level 3 temporarily.
According to the Code of Practice for managing work health and safety risk, we find the third hazard isn’t reasonably practicable to be eliminated. Therefore, it must be minimized.
After considering the situation in Starbucks, we decide to make a consistent style, customized cabinet. The cabinet should be encased in setting wall that can physically separate people from the hazard source. Meanwhile, the space can be expanded for staff’s working.
The reasons for these recommendations are: First of all, let customers catch sight of mugs much more clearly. Next, the staffs can have a safer and more guaranteed working environment when they are working. What’s more, we can reduce the cost of broken mugs.
We tend to ensure workers’ health and safety, according to the State Administration of Productivity Safety (SAPS). In addition, we also assure customers that they can have a nice experience in Starbucks.
About the fourth hazard, our control measures may not have a significant impact on the hazard at the source. These measures rely on human behavior to minimize risk. But for us, we can do some temporary measures to warn people, for example, we stick some yellow, striking warnings on the middle of the step in order to remind customers. On the other hand, the dim light may be one of the causes that make customers ignore the steps. Aiming at this point, we decide to adjust the lighting intensity in Starbucks.
All these measures depend on Codes of Practice –Managing the work environment and facilities and how to manage work health and safety risks.
4.
For the first hazard- the coffee is so hot that it may hurt customers’ mouths.
1) To staffs
Make staff know what about risk and control methods. We can adopt the written form and oral form to emphasize the hazard from hot coffee may hurt customers’ mouth such as add new service policy into Employee Handbook and the manager will emphasize it repeatedly in the meeting. After these actions the employees will realize that the measure of the company will bring better brand image.
We will arrange training before taking up employees’ jobs and make them pay attention to customers’ safety through warm warning.
Hire several people to pretend as customers and identify if the services arrived the service standards clandestinely.
2) Specific measures
Ask for the design of cap of rim and saucer, send design drawings to factory and finally arrive at the trial operation store in two days.
The new saucer should be marked and specific while the cap of rim should be lengthened and be printed green.
About the second hazard- Operation desk is too high and equipment are stacked high that block line of sight between customers and workers
1）To staffs
Decrease the height of the operation desks make the communication between employees and customers become more face to face. To staffs, they have a little psychological stress. During the beginning of the experiment, we should psychological counseling; make them know its benefits in improving brand image.
Training employees be familiar with new working environment, let them put into work as soon as possible. To prevent the efficient work purpose become inefficient work performance.
Monitoring employees if they assimilate themselves to this new environment or not.
2）Specific measures
customize new operation desks and equipment, specific information as followings：Change new operation desk which have suitable height instead of original one. Winding up and enlarge the work space in that case customers can watch coffee making clearly. We try to set up two operation desks in the prosperous brunch and prepare a new set of equipment. According to different needs, we divided equipment into different operation desk.
For the third hazard – the cabinet of mugs is easy to be knocked down and the mugs will break to pieces on the ground, our risk control is that replace a normal cabinet to a consistent style, customized one. We are going to implement it into the workplace are as followings:
1) To staffs
We should let the staffs know the danger of the cabinet which is easy to be knocked down. It may lead to the injury of themselves and customers, especially, when the business in Starbucks is busy. After adjusting the cabinet, the staffs will be trained to learn how to place the mugs. And we will have a meeting about the reason why we take the original cabinet away and the specific measures for protecting them from hurts.
2) Specific measures
First of all, we identify our budget for the task is about 10000 yuan. Then we contact a furniture company to analyze our workplace. And the furniture company should be qualified and familiar with Starbucks. After that, the company will arrange employees to measure the size of the cabinet. Then we will get the new cabinet in two weeks. During this period, we will contact another interior decorating company to design a new wall which is suitable for the cabinet. It will take about one week’s time to implement this part. We will inform our customers of the news in advance and close down the store in that week. When we get new cabinet and wall, we combine them and put mugs on it. Next, the store will test run in one week and we will review our risk control to improve our work.
Aiming at the fourth hazard -in Starbucks, the lights are always dim and the design of Starbucks is special and complicated so that customers are likely to ignore the step indoor and hurt themselves, we are going to implement this risk controls into the workplace are as followings:
1) To staffs
The most important thing is to tell the staffs the danger of the steps with dim light. Before decorating, we decide to put up a notice about the adjustment and publish the information on Starbucks official website.
2) Specific measures
First, we should prepare a schedule for adjustment –finish the task in three days. At first day, we contact the advertising department of Starbucks, and then tell them the size of sticker and our requirements are that the warning should be yellow, striking and the content is ‘Watch your step’. According to our plan, we will receive the warning stickers on the third day. After that, we can stick them on the middle of the step. Finally, we will turn the lights a little brighter in the area of steps. Two days later, the feedback about the risk control will be got to develop the work.
What’s more, before the trial operation, we need to print survey with small card (the question should be brief and useful). Customers can write their answer during their waiting time after ordered. The cards play an important role in our innovation. We will decide if these methods can be widespread in our all stores.