Thursday, April 30, 1998 | 9:53 a.m.
ROBBERIES at convenience stores that end in murder are becoming all too common across the nation and in Southern Nevada.
That's why all convenience stores should take seriously the beefed-up security guidelines issued Tuesday by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman said stores that are open late should install adequate lighting, video cameras, alarms and bulletproof glass, and increase nighttime staff levels. The guidelines also suggest training for managers and clerks on procedures on what to do in a dangerous situation.
"The statistics are shocking," Herman said. "Forty-eight percent of all homicides in the workplace occur in retail. The risk is apparently greater for those who work at night in convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations." This isn't some abstract notion of safety in the workplace. It's particularly dangerous late at night for those working the graveyard shift alone. Considering that Las Vegas is a 24-hour town, these stores are all the more susceptible.
To their credit, many convenience stores in Southern Nevada are already taking some of the steps recommended by OSHA, including increased video surveillance. But not even these additional steps were able to stop some recent murders of convenience store employees.
The recommendations that will generate the most controversy, and possibly resistance from some convenience store owners, are those that seek more staffing at night and the use of bulletproof glass to protect workers. Even employees themselves might view bulletproof glass uncomfortably, feeling as if they're caged.
But in the current environment, every safety measure within reason should be implemented. At one time, goggles weren't considered necessary for factory jobs nor hard hats for construction work. But today, nobody would think twice about the necessity of these safety items.
OSHA's guidelines aren't mandatory, but they shouldn't be dismissed, either. Obviously, not all hazards can be eliminated from a workplace, but the industry itself needs to improve safety or government will be forced to impose mandatory regulations to protect these workers.
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