TRAINING
Store Policies and Staff Training – Is Everyone on the Same Page? – by Al Hornsby, owner, Al Hornsby Productions, Singapore Al is regarded as one of the industry’s most experienced risk management litigation executives.
We all know – and appreciate – that dive retailing is a rewarding but chal- lenging endeavor. We also know that it is done, overall, very well. But, like with any complex activity, it also faces chal- lenges, and there are times when prob- lems arise, or could. In this regard, one of the most valuable tools retailers can have is a clear set of
core activities as gear rental, tank fills, dive paperwork, and gear purchases, especially in busy stores, may also involve non- instructor staff who need to understand the rules and their role in maintaining safety. There have been accidents when non-divers were rented gear; when divers were using some of their own gear and some from the store – which turned out to be incompatible; when staff members either did not obtain proof of certification or maintain it correctly (which later
policies and procedures that staff members have been well-trained in, and which are spelled out in an always- available document that they can ac- cess. Not only does this approach make things run more smoothly, day- in and day-out, but such clear guide-
came into play either in the causes of an accident or as a negative element in the defense of an accident, such as when release/assumption of risk or required medical documents were not obtained or were obtained but not stored properly).
lines can also be used in new-staff training and can improve, and make more consistent, the overall customer experience in the store. They can also help reduce staff errors and avoid potentially costly – or safety-related – problems. Beyond everyday business issues, dive retailing has elements of special risk, of course, and far more industry-wide stan- dards and practices than most businesses ever face. As we are well aware, diving has developed and evolved a substantial body of safety and training standards, which have had con- siderable effect in helping our risk-inherent activity maintain an impressive safety record. (If you take a look at sports and recreation accident stats, you’ll find interesting facts and com- parisons such as diving having long-maintained a fatality rate of about 3 per 100,000 participants… compared to, say, jog- ging, which has been reported at around 11 per. While the causes and explanations are varied, it is still a very real point.) Diving’s effective, rule-based approach has been a signifi- cant factor in our accident record being quite low and con- sistent over many years. However, it is through the maintaining of these rules and standards that our safety per- formance has remained impressive. And, with the fairly high opportunity for litigation when accidents do occur, the value of consistent, familiar practices being utilized in the store takes on an even stronger degree of importance. Also, while instructors have been thoroughly educated when it comes to training and supervising divers, the inter- action customers have with a store is not just in the water, or with such dive professionals, but also with retail staff that play their parts in the customer journey. Consider that such
We are a complex business with known risks – a well-con- structed store procedures manual – like the dive instructional
manuals we are so accustomed to – can play an important role in not only defining a store’s op- erational concepts and approaches, but also in training staff and maintaining ongoing consis- tency.
email Al
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