FactSheet

Crowd Management Safety Guidelines 

for Retailers 

Crowd-related injuries can occur during special sales and promotional events. 

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 programs to identify and 

eliminate work-related hazards, including those 

caused by large crowds at retail sales events. 

OSHA has prepared these guidelines to help 

employers and store owners avoid injuries during 

the holiday shopping season, or other events 

where large crowds may gather. Crowd management planning should begin in advance of events 

that are likely to draw large crowds, and crowd 

management, pre-event setup, and emergency 

situation management should be part of event 

planning. OSHA recommends that employers

planning a large shopping event adopt a plan that 

includes the following elements. 

Planning 

 Where large crowds are expected, hire 

additional staff as needed and have trained 

security or crowd management personnel or 

police officers on site. 

 Create a detailed staffing plan that designates a 

location for each worker. Based on the size of 

the crowd expected, determine the number of 

workers that are needed in various locations to 

ensure the safety of the event (e.g., near the 

entrances and throughout the store). 

 Ensure that workers are properly trained to 

manage the event. 

 Contact local fire and police agencies to 

determine if the event site meets all public safety 

requirements, and ensure that all permits and 

licenses are obtained and that local emergency 

services, including the local police, fire department and hospital, are aware of the event. 

 Designate a worker to contact local emergency 

responders if necessary. 

 Designate a store manager to make key 

decisions as needed during the event. 

 Provide legible and visible signs that describe 

entrance and exit locations, store opening 

times, and other important information such as 

the location of major sale items and restrooms. 

 Prepare an emergency plan that addresses 

potential dangers facing workers, including 

overcrowding, crowd crushing, being struck 

by the crowd, violent acts and fire. Share 

emergency plan with all local public safety 

agencies. 

 Train workers in crowd management procedures 

and the emergency plan. Provide them with 

an opportunity to practice the special event 

plan. Include local public safety agencies if 

appropriate. 

Pre-Event Setup: 

 Set up barricades or rope lines for crowd 

management well in advance of customers 

arriving at the store. 

 Make sure that barricades are set up so that 

the customers’ line does not start right at the 

entrance to the store. This will allow for orderly 

crowd management entry and make it possible 

to divide crowds into small groups for the 

purpose of controlling entrance. 

 Ensure that barricade lines have an adequate 

number of breaks and turns at regular intervals 

to reduce the risk of customers pushing from 

the rear and possibly crushing others, including 

workers. 

 Designate workers to explain approach and 

entrance procedures to the arriving public, and 

direct them to lines or entrances. 
 Make sure that outside personnel have radios or 

some other way to communicate with personnel 

inside the store and emergency responders. 

 Consider using mechanisms such as numbered 

wristbands or tickets to provide the earlierarriving customers with first access to sale 

items. 

 Consider using Internet lottery for “hot” items. 

 Locate sale items in different parts of the store 

to prevent overcrowding in one place. 

 Locate shopping carts and other potential 

obstacles or projectiles inside the store and 

away from the entrance, not in the parking lot. 

 If appropriate, provide public amenities including 

toilets, washbasins, water and shelter. 

 Communicate updated information to customers 

waiting in line. Have signs and distribute 

pamphlets showing the location of entrances, 

and exits, store opening times and location of 

special sales items within the store. 

 Shortly before opening, remind waiting crowds 

of the entrance process (i.e., limiting entry to 

small groups, redemption of numbered tickets, 

etc.). 

During the Sales Event 

 Provide a separate store entrance for staff. 

Provide door monitors there to prevent crowd 

entry. 

 Make sure that all employees and crowd 

control personnel are aware that the doors are 

about to open. 

 Staff entrances with uniformed guards, police 

or other authorized personnel. 

 Use a public address system or bullhorns to 

manage the entering crowd and to communicate information or problems. 

 Position security or crowd managers to the 

sides of entering (or exiting) public, not in the 

center of their path. 

 Provide crowd and entry management 

measures at all entrances, including the ones 

not being used. If possible, use more than one 

entrance. 

 When the store reaches maximum occupancy, 

do not allow additional customers to enter until 

the occupancy level drops. 

 Provide a safe entrance for people with 

disabilities. 

Emergency Situations 

 Do not restrict egress, and do not block or lock 

exit doors. 

 Know in advance who to call for emergency 

medical response. 

 Keep first-aid kits and Automated External 

Defibrillators (AEDs) available, and have 

personnel trained in using AEDs and CPR 

onsite. 

 Instruct employees, in the event of an 

emergency, to follow instructions from 

authorized first responders, regardless of 

company rules. 

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or 

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. 

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627. 

DTSEM 11/2012