With the holidays fast approaching, many people throughout Illinois are headed to retail shops to complete their holiday list. People are busy buying food, clothing and toys to make their holidays as special as possible. This makes retail venues extremely busy during the holiday season. While this can be an inconvenience for some customers, it can also be dangerous for employees and customers alike in certain situations.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, steps must be taken during the holiday season to protect retail workers from injuries related to crowd management. In particular, special days, like Black Friday, can be of considerable concern.

OSHA suggests that advanced planning should be undertaken prior to these events. With this planning, customers and employees can remain safe. This planning should include designating employees who are responsible for calling emergency services should an issue arise. Additionally, additional retail staff may need to be hired in order to deal with the extra crowds. Workers also need to be properly trained on how to manage the crowds and the event. They should also be trained in the emergency plan and what to do if something goes wrong.

Retailers should also take steps before the event to make sure their facilities are ready for the extra crowds. This can include setting up ropes or barricades to help slow the influx of customers into the store. This can also include using tickets or lottery systems to distribute popular items. Also, using extra personnel with radios inside and outside of the store can also help with crowd management.

Taking some of the steps can be extremely important in helping to prevent employee injuries in Illinois during the holiday season. However, when an employee is injured at work, the employee must understand their legal rights. This person may have the right to workers’ compensation following the injury. An attorney can give more detailed information about these rights, especially after a  Chicago work-related death , and the compensation that may be available.