OSHA outlines Black Friday precautions

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has encouraged the CEOs of 14 major retailers to look at their crowd-control measures to avoid out-of-control crowd-related injuries during so-called "Black Friday," the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

In OSHA's Fact Sheet guidelines, the agency explains "Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years."

The guidelines include:

• Set up barricades or rope lines for crowd management well in advance of customers arriving at the store. • Move shopping carts and other potential obstacles away from the entrance. • During the sales event, make sure that all employees and crowd-control personnel are aware that the doors are about to open.