OSHA Tells Retailers to Control Black Friday Crowds- Guidelines are Set

OSHA is tackling a new industry that it normally leaves alone- the retail industry. Retailers are being told by the government to take greater precautions with their Black Friday shopping events to avoid a repeat of last year, when a Wal-Mart worker was trampled by customers, in New York. Jdimytai Damour, a temporary worker, was trampled to death on November 28 when shoppers stormed the entrance of the store.

Brad Hammock, a lawyer at Jackson Lewis LLP in Reston, Va., who advises companies on how to comply with the OSHA law states “OSHA is truly hitting every industry, and moving beyond the traditional OSHA issues like asbestos or lead.” “It's a new world. They are reaching retail shopping.”

Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, generally accounts for at least a third of U.S. retailers’ annual profits. One would think that shopping on this year's Black Friday would be down compared to other years due to the rescission but the National Retail Federation thinks otherwise. Crowds are predicated to be larger this year due to rising unemployment rates making consumers more desperate for bargains. In return retailers are expected to offer more aggressive markdowns to spur sales. The National Retail Federation has also issued its own guidelines for its members. OSHA's guidelines are “similar, though less comprehensive” than the steps the National Retail Federation recommended to its members, said Joseph LaRocca, a senior adviser on security issues for the association. The trade group's recommendations include placing stanchions or barriers inside and outside the store to manage traffic flow, announcing the availability and locations of products over the store intercom, handing out vouchers for limited supplies of merchandise to the first customers in line, handing out a map of the store, spreading out sale items throughout the store and giving store managers authority to make decisions as events unfold.

Guidance from OSHA includes using a bullhorn to manage crowds, setting up barricades or rope lines and clearing the entrances of shopping carts and other dangerous obstacles, according to a statement released by the agency Tuesday. Other guidelines include OSHA's guidelines also include using an Internet lottery for “hot” sales items, staffing entrances with uniformed guards and providing public toilets.

“We’re always trying to keep workers safe,” said Diana Petterson, an OSHA spokeswoman.

Sources:
Rosenkrantz, Holly. "Retailers Told by OSHA to Control Black Friday Crowds (Update2)." Bloomberg.com. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.