OSHA: Retailers Must Prepare For Black Friday Crowd Control

Ahead of Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, OSHA has sent a letter to major retailers reminding them of their responsibility to keep employees safe in the face of big crowds converging for bargains. The fact sheet “Crowd Management Safety Guidelines for Retailers” outlines how retailers can prepare and should respond in emergency situations. Setting up barricades, giving employees radio communication devices, and providing separate store entrances for staff are among the agency’s suggestions. The warning is in response to a worker killed in 2008 after being trampled by sale shoppers.