Handling the Night Shift Risks

Statistics tell us that the night time hours are when any business that is open late or operating 24 hours will become a target for events such as smash & grabs and armed robberies. It is easy to see what makes this a preferable timeframe when you understand that the main aim of these perpetrators is to escape and with an amount of cash, more than likely earmarked for the purchase of drugs, payment of debts or to fuel some other addiction.

The cover of darkness combined with the common practice of single, often preoccupied operator coverage for these hours are some of the reasons a business will be targeted. Poor cash handling procedures can very quickly become known and that coupled with the knowledge that your doors are always open places your business in the high risk category.

The risks involved can be reduced by ensuring your staff are well aware of the things that make your type of business a target and therefore, how the risk can be reduced or increased by their actions.

To meet your Duty of Care as the business owner, in this risk area, you will need to demonstrate that you have taken all reasonable steps to mitigate the incidents of armed hold up occurring.

You can put systems and engineering solutions (jump wires, enclosed consoles, night pay windows, cameras etc.) in place to combat the growing threats experienced by operators. These can go a long way to deter offenders but you need to check they remain operational at all times.

The Telling a staff member how to avoid or at worst protect themselves, in an often violent situation such as armed robbery, is only half of the training process. Checking for understanding (assessment of competence) is the other and probably more important half of the process.

In today’s OH & S environment and with relevant legislation from the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 reviews now including Physiological as well as Physical health for workers. Operators need to be able to demonstrate that they have a comprehensive process for training, assessing performance competency & knowledge and supporting staff in areas of confrontation such as aggressive customers and armed robbery survival.

atmp – Training & Skill development recommends that ALL staff employed in 24 hour and late closing businesses such as service stations and C-Stores should complete a structured armed robbery induction training module and be assessed on their resulting knowledge and competency in this area.

Some of the key components to cover would be:
- Follow safe cash handling procedures
- maintain maximum cash amounts in till
- safe drop large notes
- do not balance till in public
- do not talk about business financials to any outsiders
- Follow night operating procedures such as locked door policy especially when working alone
- Remain alert and aware of what is happening outside
- How to act in the event of a hold up
- Remain calm
- Do not argue
- Keep hands in full view
- Do not make any sudden moves
- What to do immediately after a robber has left

Documentation needs to be completed and kept in staff files to attest to the completion of training and the level of competency displayed by the staff member.

Fatigue is also a factor associated with working night shifts and can lead to a situation where lack of attention or even complacency could allow an offender to gain access unnoticed. Staff required to work regular night shifts should be advised of their duty of care to get adequate sleep prior to and between stints of night shifts. Shift scheduling should also take into account time for this to happen.

Another area of concern arises when a normal day time shift staff member is asked to cover for a sick colleague in the late evening. Have they been trained in armed robbery survival? Do they know what the night shift operation procedures for safety and security are? What happens if they are held up and don’t do the right things and get injured or traumatised during the event?

Would the operator be held responsible? Under Duty of Care responsibilities – probably yes. They would need to be able to “show” when the training occurred and “show” the appropriate records of competency; and then follow up over time with refresher training.

One of the biggest issues that operators need to be aware of is staff complacency. Over time staff become less and less aware of the likelihood of an armed robbery occurring to them and they forget the simple prevention processes, including good cash controls they originally learned in induction. They may also forget the recommended behaviours for dealing with an armed hold up. Operators should ensure that they plan to hold refresher training with all staff, every six months and document this accordingly.

atmp have had some experience with console operators who have attended armed robbery survival training and then subsequently experienced an armed hold up. They had commented that they felt more in control and less traumatised from having had the opportunity to discuss what can happen, what to do and how to behave – and more importantly “what not to do”.

atmp – Training & Skill Development have produced an online training package specifically for this area and includes preventative measures for store theft. It is called “Store Security & Armed Robbery Survival”, and staff can work through the learning at their own pace and complete a self scoring assessment online and print their results for your file. Visit our BROCHURES page to find out more about this program and order via our online SHOP.