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Falling Merchandise - at a Store Near You?!
Each holiday season we try to include some safety tips for our visitors. With this year's holiday season upon us, we have no doubt that stores will be stocking their shelves to the rims with merchandise. In the midst of all your holiday glory, while you're strolling down aisles and aisles searching for that perfect gift, would you ever imagine that there could be danger lurking just around the corner? No, we're not talking about stalkers, or pick pockets...were talking about falling merchandise. This month's article is to alert you about "sky shelves" - the not so friendly skies.
Every day, millions of people shop mega-stores such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Toys 'R Us, to name a few...come on, don't you have a favorite store that you just can't keep out of? But we bet the most annoying things you've ever encountered in any of these stores were nothing more than long lines or disgruntled employees. Certainly the LAST thing on your mind, is being hurt or possibly killed by falling merchandise...merchandise that is usually stocked up high on shelves. It could be a bunch of boxes, a pile of wood, or a large piece of furniture. How safe do you think you are when it comes to being struck by falling merchandise at your favorite store?
Just in case you've never heard of anyone being injured in a "falling merchandise" accident, here are just a few of the incidents that were caused by falling merchandise in retail stores:
1996 A Small child was killed when a wardrobe toppled at Sam's Club in Abilene, Texas.
1997 A two year old girl died after a 100 pound television cabinet fell on her in A Wal-Mart store in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
1997 A 36 year old employee of Home Depot died from falling ceramic tiles/shelf collapsed in Miami, FL.
1999 A 79 year old woman killed at an L.A. Home Depot store when a forklift operator knocked over a load of lumber stacked above her.
November 1999 A 79-year-old Santa Monica, California woman was killed at a Los Angeles Home Depot when a forklift operator accidentally tipped a load of
lumber, stacked several feet above her.
2000 41 year old man was killed at a Connecticut Home Depot when a 2,000 pound pallet oflandscaping timbers fell and pinned him to the ground.
June 2000 A woman sustained bodily injury when a seven-foot stack of cat litter fell on her at an Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wal-Mart store.
July 2000 A man sustained injuries when he was struck by approximately 20 pounds of merchandise which fell from a seven-foot shelf at an Oxnard Wal-Mart.
The number of incidents involving falling merchandise goes on and on. Retail stores have been taking measures to ensure customer safety, but according to the statistics, there are still hundreds of claims per week due to falling merchandise, especially in stores that routinely stock their merchandise like warehouses - packed to the ceiling. Merchandise has tumbled off of high stacking boxes; items have been pushed off of shelves that were being stacked by employees from the other side; employees have dropped their loads off of forklifts...etc. Merchandise can fall or be knocked over at any time, and it doesn't only happen when they're stacked up on high shelves.
If you think it can't happen to you, please think again. We're sure that falling merchandise was the last thing on the minds of Julie and Virgil Horner when they entered their neighborhood Home Depot with their two children. Julie and Virgil Horner never expected their 3½ year old daughter's life to end from falling merchandise. On May 28, 2000, their daughter Janessa Horner suffered massive head injuries when a load of countertops fell from a forklift at The Home Depot in Twin Falls, Idaho. She was pronounced dead the next day, just a few days before her 4th birthday. The Horner's have since dedicated a website to their daughter's memory, and are doing their part to inform the public about the dangers of stores that stock their shelves too high.
Below we've listed a few general safety rules for shoppers:
- Obey all store signs. If a store has posted a notice for customers to "ask for help for items on the top shelf," then please do so. Do not try and reach for the item yourself.
- Do not climb store ladders - they should only be used by employees.
- Stay far from store barricades. It is best not to stay near a closed-off area - store employees may have misjudged the space they need to work.
- Do not let your children wander far from you in a store. Besides the threat of being abducted, accidents can happen.
- Keep your eyes open for leaning boxes or items on shelves or floors. Items that are not stable have more chances of falling.
- Be careful of items placed in aisles. Tall or heavy merchandise does not have to be on a top shelf to cause harm...it can easily be knocked over.
- Report any safety hazards to store managers. They should be made aware of the dangers of falling merchandise and should act quickly to remedy the situation.
- Keep alert!
The bottom line is...merchandise can fall in any store, at any time, from any height. And it doesn't only happen during a holiday season. Our hope is that you and your family will be more careful while traveling through the aisles of your favorite store, and that you'll never see anything falling but the prices!
Continue reading the following articles for more helpful information on keeping safe this holiday season:
Visit the following Internet sites for more information on encouraging children to read:
Here are some great books to get children reading! Use Amazon.com's secure server to order:
 Safety & You: - Nancy Harvey Steorts, Jeanne A. Benas (Illustrator). Learn all kinds of tips for safety while at home & away from home (includes toy safety) to help keep you and your family safe. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
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