If you have been to a big box store in the last few weeks, you know it’s not too soon to start thinking about the upcoming holiday seasons. Even in southern states like Georgia and Florida, Christmas has replaced lawn and garden and seasonal hiring is in full swing.
Just this week, it was announced that Target would sell $3 appliances as a Black Friday promotion.New employees and the busiest shopping season of the year can be a dangerous combination. Our Georgia workers’ compensation attorneys encourage employees to stay safe and to report work injuries to their employer. Failure to report an accident on the job can result in an inability to collect damages should a serious medical condition later arise.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is already preparing for the holidays, warning retailers that they have an obligation to protect employees from the notorious crowds of Black Friday, and from on-the-job injuries throughout the holiday season.
“Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years,” said Assistant Secretary for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Many of these incidents can be prevented by adopting a crowd management plan, and this fact sheet provides retail employers with guidelines for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season.”
Safety tips for Georgia employers and employees include:
-Utilize trained security, crowd management personnel or police officers.
-Create a detailed staffing plan.
-Ensure proper training of employees.
-Contact local authorities and comply with all public safety requirements.
-Designate an employee to be the contact with local emergency personnel.
-Prepare and emergency plan.
Too often, retailers stage large, promotional events with no plan to protect employees or the public. Barricades, rope lines and other crowd control measures are not in place. Proper lighting and crowd control are not utilized. Local safety regulations are not followed. Customers are permitted to enter beyond the store’s maximum capacity.
When injuries result, it is no accident. It is the negligence of a business owner that is responsible and an Atlanta work accident claim or premise liability lawsuit can be necessary to collect damages.
The Atlanta injury lawyers at the Law Offices of J. Franklin Burns, P.C., have the knowledge and experience to help clients obtain all of the benefits to which they are entitled under the Georgia workers’ compensation program. For a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights, call 678-298-0323.