In anticipation of holiday shopping season, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a Fact Sheet for retailers offering suggestions for managing crowds at holiday sales events. The guidance divides the task into four sections: (1) planning, (2) pre-event set up, (3) during the sales event, and (4) handling emergency situations.
Some of the suggestions include:
Planning
- Hire and train additional staff in crowd management procedures when a large crowd is expected.
- Designate a location for each worker, such as store entrances and throughout the store.
- Contact local fire and police agencies to ensure the event site meets all public safety requirements.
- Designate a store manager to make decisions as needed during the event.
- Prepare an emergency plan that addresses potential dangers facing workers, including overcrowding, crowd crushing, violent acts and fire.
Pre-event set up
- Set up barricades to allow for safe crowd movement and remove obstacles, such as shopping carts, to a safe location.
- Locate sale items in different parts of the store to prevent overcrowding in one place.
- Designate workers to explain approach and entrance procedures and communicate updated information to waiting customers.
During the sales event
- Provide a separate store entrance for staff.
- Staff entrances with uniformed guards or other authorized personnel.
- When the store reaches maximum occupancy, do not allow additional customers to enter until the occupancy level drops.
- Provide a safe entrance for people with disabilities.
Emergency situations
- Do not block or lock exit doors.
- Know in advance who to call for emergency medical response.
- Keep first-aid kits and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) available, and have staff trained in first-aid ready.
For the best holiday shopping experience, plan ahead, be aware of your surroundings, know where building exits are located and keep a cool head. For more information, see OSHA’s Fact Sheet here.