This study is done to know how much the employees working in crowded retail outlets are prepared and confident to face an unexpected emergency situation. The state of Kerala, is a narrow, long coastal strip of land in the southern tip of the country. According to the data published in the 2011 census it has the highest population density in the country (860people/km²). Nevertheless the state boasts of a high literacy rate and a high standard of living as compared to the rest of the country. Records show that over the last century, there has been a transformationin its population profile, a change from itsbasic agrarian society to a highly urbanized consumerist group. This phenomenon can be witnessed in the increase in the total number of shops from 2, 31,046 in 2004 to 2, 87, 598 in 2015. The style of organization and professionalization makes it stand at par with the international retail society. The data published by Kerala Sops and establishment commercial fund shows that about 50 malls have come up in the State in the last three years. The state with 38,863 Km2is about 14.5% prone to floods and 14.4% tolandslides. This is one of the reasons why Kerala is said to be a multi hazard prone state. And making this data even worse, the 2018 floods that affected the state has proved more fatal than ever before as all the fourteen districts affected more lives and property lost. The data used forthis study was collected six months before the recent emergency situation and wasfocused on learning about the precautions taken by the retailers in employee training. The analysis revealed a heterogeneous picture as thecompetenceof the staff in many places is falling short in making them ready to face an emergency.
Volume 11 | 05-Special Issue
Pages: 1808-1814