Tag Archives: crowd control

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues

BLACK FRIDAY: IS IT WORTH IT?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays:  a special day set aside for families to be together, spend time sharing and making memories:  eating too much food, and maybe watching too much football.  It seems that this holiday almost gets ignored, except by those who enjoy this tradition with family and friends. 

As soon as the Halloween masks, costumes, and decorations are removed, here come all the Christmas products.  What happened to Thanksgiving?  Sorry, this article isn’t about how I feel about this holiday; rather, it is about an ongoing topic that comes the day after Thanksgiving: Black Friday!  Now, surprise:  spoiling the Black Friday plan is the fact that many of the popular retailers are planning to open on Thanksgiving Day for certain hours, carrying their sales on through Black Friday.  It would be nice if their workers could  have some time off to spend with their families on the holiday.

This is a shopper’s dream: having November 28th, (Thanksgiving Day), plus Black Friday to fill their holiday stockings and purchase gifts at special prices.  Retailers know that they always have to be ready to manage crowds for Black Friday; because this will probably remain the least safe shopping day for customers, here are some tips from OSHA for retailers that hopefully will keep their employees safe from stampeding crowds. 

Five years ago, a Wal-Mart employee died at the opening of a “Black Friday” sale.  OSHA reminds employers that they are responsible for keeping their workplace safe.  Much planning should be done ahead of time, in order for things to go smoothly.  Last week, letters were sent to all firefighters and fire marshals, in addition to retail trade groups and C.E.O.’s of large retail companies from OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor, Dr. David Michaels, who informed them that crowd control and proper planning are critical to prevention of injuries and death.

Death?  We are all aware that money is tight, and everyone wants to cut corners anywhere they can, but is it worth risking life and limb to save a few dollars?  You can read all the instructions that OSHA has in its Fact Sheet about Crowd Safety Management and Safety Guidelines for Retailers.  Here are a few, for instance: 

  • Hire extra workers
  • Ensure that workers are trained to manage the event
  • Designate a worker to contact local emergency responders if necessary
  • Be sure that the building meets public safety requirements
  • Have an emergency plan prepared
  • Set up barricades or rope lines outside the store
  • Barricade lines should have breaks and turns to reduce the risk of customers pushing from the rear and possibly crushing others, including employees
  • Have communications for outside workers
  • Make sure that all employees and crowd control personnel are aware that the doors are about to open (or that the stampede is about to take place!)
  • In emergency situations, have first-aid kits and Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) available and have personnel trained in using AED’s and CPR onsite at all times. 

Good luck –  retailers are counting on you to shop during the beginning of the Christmas season. We are certainly not trying to be “Scrooge” about Black Friday, just wanting to warn you to be ready to battle serious shoppers! 

 In the meantime, have a Happy Thanksgiving! pb

General Safety Issues

WHY FESTIVALS AND CONFERENCES CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT SAFETY BARRIERS (GUEST POST)

The United States and United Kingdom both have policies when it comes to crowd control. Large and regulated events such as sports games are required to use safety barriers to discourage people from entering restricted areas. This includes places that must remain free of people for traffic and industrial equipment to move through. The public must be blocked from hazardous areas and from moving traffic. Sporting centers and even organizers might use additional barriers to help channel large crowds and keep them from overwhelming entrances and exits.

How Crowd Control Barriers Work

A barrier is a steel obstacle that rises to waist or chest height. It is similar to a fence except the construction material is a stainless steel pipe. These obstacles are heavy enough that an average person would have trouble moving one. Many barriers are chained together in order to form walls and lines that channel large crowds. When barriers are chained together, they become a single very heavy object that is difficult to move or tip over.

Police Use Them When No One Else Will

Law enforcement officers are allowed to install crowd control devices to contain any large crowd at any event where the people are gathered in the streets. While this practice at worst helps to prevent riots, it also keeps minors from playing in surrounding areas. It prevents people from being obstacles and also prevents accidents. Not all cities have laws that give a detailed list of when to set up blocks, except police are often allowed to use them at their discretion. Stadiums and other private services are entitled to use safety barriers on their property, and they make use of both soft strap directional and heavy steel barriers.

Reducing Costs By Reducing Walls

Barriers as simple as fabric tapes will provide a psychological barrier to movement. People are conditioned to moving within them and staying inside the line. Steel barricades are cheaper than building a permanent wall and they can be easily moved. This reduces costs for many institutions, because it eliminates the need to build permanent walls. There is less need to have security guards at every corner, because the mental impression of a block is typically sufficient.

Barriers for Festivals and Conferences

Festivals held in a public park can set up barricades with the park’s permission. Often organizing an event requires collaboration with the city and the police. Application forms are filled out and require information about how many people are expected to show up. Park managers may decide to put up barricades on their own or else the police will do it as a matter of policy. Different areas will have different rules, but major urban areas have policies that require some form of crowd control. They help police and organizers deal with a large crowd in the event of panic.

They are Useful and Often Necessary

Human beings are normally civilized and operate in a peaceful manner. They are not perfect, and unexpected events can cause a stampede in anger or panic. Festivals that could be considered family events will normally include children, and these smaller people are the ones most likely to wander off into dangerous areas. Barriers help large crowds direct their flow, and they also block off areas from being entrances and exits. In the event of a disturbance, police can use these barriers as management tools. The presence of barriers might cause an event to seem less family friendly, but the average person has typically seen them enough to regard them with neutrality.

Article donated by Robert Phillips who knows a thing or two about safety barriers.