Nighttime Retailing

Robbery and criminal acts are the primary motives for homicide at work, accounting for 60 percent of these deaths (Chavez, 1999). Approximately half of all homicide victims work in retail establishments such as grocery stores, restaurants, bars, and small gas stations. These traditional nighttime retailers are the most vulnerable (Toscano and Windau, 1994). 

The reasons for establishing operating guidelines are obvious and are based on the dangers faced by employees of nighttime retail operations. Employees like Jane can and must be protected. Here s how it can be done. 

As in any other area of safety, a written plan outlining policies designed to deal with the anticipated problem is written. The plan includes procedures for cash management, handling customers, and generally minimizing the likelihood of robbery. More importantly. 

Planning includes acquiring and installing certain basic equipment. Many nighttime retailers, particularly convenience stores and gas stations, benefit from the following  

Shields convert the nighttime retail establishment into a veritable fortress in short order. They can stop the penetration of clubs, knives, and small-caliber firearms. Under the Florida Law, the enclosure must meet Underwriters Laboratory Standard UL 752 for Medium-Power Small Arms, Bullet-Resisting Equipment or the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard D3935 (Classification PCI 10 B 3 0800700) (Florida Department of Legal Affairs, Division of Victim Services, 1993, p. 1567). 

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As the workplace continues to become more complex and OSHA finds that higher numbers of workers are killed or injured in different ways than in the past, the emphasis may shift. Homicide is a primary cause of death for younger workers and for females. In recent years NIOSH has carefully studied homicide in the workplace and has produced a number of publications responding to the problem. Fast food merchandisers, taxi and delivery services, and nighttime retailers may be in line for future inspections as workplace homicide continues to become more of a concern for OSHA. An issue left largely untouched by OSHA has been that of highway accidents. Employers continue to lose more employees due to vehicular incidents than any other reason. 

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