The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidelines on how retail employers can prevent their employees and shoppers from being trampled to death - yes, trampled to death - during holiday season sales events.
Last year a worker was trampled to death when a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store to take advantage of an after Thanksgiving Day "Black Friday" sales event. According to OSHA, similar tragedies can be avoided if stores implement their Crowd Control Safety Tips For Retailers.
"Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years," said acting Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jordan Barab in a press release. "Many of these incidents could be prevented, and this fact sheet provides retail employers with guidelines for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season."
Main elements of OSHA's plan recommend that stores have trained security personnel or police officers on site, set up barricades or rope lines for pedestrians and crowd control, and having security personnel or customer service representatives explain approach and entrance procedures to people as they arrive at the store.
Other crowd control measures you might see at this year's holiday sales events include:
- barricades and rope lines well before you get to the store's entrance
- employees or security guards outside the store explaining entry rules and shopping safety guidelines
- lotteries or drawings to decide which shoppers get first access to especially "hot" sales items
- limited numbers of shoppers allowed to enter the store at one time
Shop hard, but carefully.
Also See:
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries - 2000
All About Black Friday (US Economy)
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