OSHA Issues Warning to Retailers for Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, has long been a popular sales day for retail shopping. When family members are stuffed with turkey and tired of sitting around the house, they tend to hit the stores in full force in search of holiday gifts. As such, retailers offer steep discounts on Black Friday, vying for the opportunity to attract your business. To put the popularity of Black Friday into perspective, it's estimated that shoppers spent more than $50 billion during this time last year -- a number that's expected to grow even higher this year.

But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a warning to retailers, telling them to prepare for the surge of shoppers on Black Friday. While most retailers are probably expecting an increase of traffic and sales, they may not be prepared for the potential hazards it brings.

As noted by OSHA in its press release, a worker died back in 2008 as a result of a Black Friday sales event. When retailers fail to properly control the crowds of shoppers, it creates a dangerous scenario for the public as well as the workers. OSHA is hoping to prevent any incidents such as this from occurring this year by issuing the warning.

"Crowd related injuries can occur during special sales and promotional events. In 2008, a worker died at the opening of a Black Friday sale," wrote OSHA. "Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing their workers with safe and healthy workplaces. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) encourages employers to adopt effective safety and health management systems to identify and eliminate work-related hazards, including those caused by large crowds at retail sales events."

So, what steps can retailers take to reduce the risk of injury during Black Friday sales events? For starters, OSHA recommends hiring additional staff to help control the crowds. When a retailer is understaffed, it will naturally have a harder time keeping the massive crowds of shoppers under control. And when this occurs, it can increase the risk of an injury or even fatality.

These are just a few things that retailers can do to promote a safe Black Friday experience for workers and shoppers alike. Check out OSHA's page here for more tips.