In 2008, a New York worker was trampled to death while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store at the opening of a "Black Friday" sale. OSHA is encouraging retail employers to take precautions to prevent this type of tragedy during major sales events this holiday season. This year, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels has sent a letter to the CEOs of major retail employers urging them to follow common-sense crowd control measures to prevent worker injuries. OSHA has prepared a set of guidelines to help retail employers and store owners avoid injuries during the holiday shopping season, or other events where large crowds may gather. See OSHA's Crowd Management Safety Guidelines Fact Sheet for more information. Crowd management planning should begin in advance of events that are likely to draw large crowds, and crowd management, pre-event setup, and emergency situation management should be part of that plan.
Crowd management plans should include: trained security personnel or police officers on-site, barricades or rope lines for pedestrians provided well in advance of customers arriving at the store, barricades so the customers’ line does not begin at the immediate entrance of the store, emergency procedures in place that address potential dangers, and security personnel or customer service representatives available to explain approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public.
