As retailers and consumers prepare for the Black Friday rush, others are warning stores to prevent a dangerous situation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a letter to merchants such as Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and J.C. Penney Co. Inc., among others, according to MSNBC.

The letter warns retailers to take precautions to prevent workers from getting injured during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

“I am writing this letter to emphasize how critical it is to consider the safety of employees and customers during the upcoming holiday retail season,” said the letter written by David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA.

The letter laid out a series of precautionary steps for retailers to take, including guidelines in planning, pre-event setup, the sales event itself and how to handle emergency situations.

A Valley Stream, N.Y., Wal-Mart employee was crushed to death by shoppers when doors opened on Black Friday in 2008. Four others were injured in the same rush.