To make sure the holiday season is truly joyful, the U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers and workers not to overlook workplace safety and health.
For a sad reminder of how an on-the-job tragedy can leave families, friends and co-workers grief-stricken, look no further than Akron, Ohio, where a 25-year-old worker — hanging holiday lights on a backyard tree — suffered severe electrical shock injuries and later died after the fiberglass extension pole he used on Nov. 7, 2023, made contact with a high-voltage power line.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration offers resources to help keep workers safe year-round and as they carry out an array of holiday-related jobs, from working with lighted decorations to serving customers in packed retail stores and from making rush deliveries to picking and packing orders in warehouses.
“The holidays are a time for celebration and reflection with family and friends, but they are also times when employees face seasonal hazards found atop ladders or roofs putting decorations in place, meeting anxious customers’ demands in retail stores and warehouses and working outdoors at winter approaches,” explained OSHA Regional Administrator Billie A. Kizer in Kansas City, Missouri. “Employers must embrace safety as a core value by stressing workplace safety and health and training employees to prevent needless, preventable injuries or worse, during these seasons.”
To assist employers and workers, OSHA offers a timely video, “9 Tips to Protect Workers During the Holidays” and other information focused on keeping workers safe during the holiday season in retail, warehousing, delivery and other seasonal jobs, including special restrictions for young workers.