OSHA encourages retail
employers to take precautions to prevent worker injuries and fatalities during
Black Friday and other major sales events during the holiday season. The Agency
recommends that retailers follow certain safeguards and crowd management plans,
including:
- On-site trained security personnel or police officers;
- barricades or rope lines for pedestrians that do not start right in front of the store’s entrance;
- crowd control measures that are implemented well in advance of customers arriving at the store;
- emergency procedures in place to address potential dangers;
- an explanation of approach and entrance procedures for arriving public;
- keeping additional customers out of the store when it reaches its maximum occupancy level;
- not blocking or locking exit doors.
