As shoppers plan their Black Friday bargain hunting, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is urging retail employers to plan their crowd-control measures to keep workers safe.
In 2008, a worker was trampled to death while a crowd of shoppers rushed the doors of a Wal-Mart store in New York. OSHA recommends that retailers follow certain safeguards to prevent that kind of tragedy on Black Friday and during other holiday sales events.
OSHA is urging retailers to adopt crowd-management plans, including:
- On-site trained security personnel or police officers;
- Barricades or rope lines for pedestrians that don’t start right in front of the store’s entrance;
- Implementing crowd-control measures well in advance of customers arriving at the store;
- Emergency procedures in place to address potential dangers;
- Explaining approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public;
- Not allowing additional customers to enter the store when it reaches its maximum occupancy level; and
- Not blocking or locking exit doors.
OSHA has a fact sheet outlining safety measures. It also has sent a letter to retailers to emphasize the importance of crowd safety during the shopping season. The letter points out that the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 makes employers “responsible for providing a safe place of employment free of recognized hazards that are likely to cause serious injury or death.”