01/10/2026
October is National Safe Work Month. While the SDA believes safety should be acknowledged every day at work, we also recognise that safety can look different across every industry and workplace, and a safety observance can help us fight back against complacency.
In our Under Pressure campaign, for example, we’re addressing the impact of not having enough workers on the shop floor as a psychosocial hazard, one that can put massive pressure on retail workers and leave them more exposed to difficult or aggressive customers.
In the worst-case scenario, that aggression can escalate into violence as we have seen all to often on the news and no worker should have to put up with aggressive customers as part of doing their job!
Maria, our former Delegate of the Year, and Angela from BIG W Belmont know all too well why banning aggressive customers matters and they’re getting in on the action to show their support!
That’s why the SDA is continuing to push for stronger protections, including Retail Barring Orders to ban aggressive customers from workplaces. Put your hand up in the comments if you agree too 👇
