RAPID CITY, S.D. – While there’s no industry standard for safety training for overnight workers, NACS recommends two principles to keep convenience stores and their employees safe: minimize reward and maximize visibility, the Rapid City Journal reports.

“Each store usually has its own set of criteria” related to training third shift workers, said Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives. The key is maximizing visibility for the worker. “You want to be able to see people coming in,” he said. “If there are clear sightlines, people can see out and people can see in.”

Stores need to have windows and doors with clear lines of sight and not cluttered with signs or ads. Other ways to secure maximum visibility is to locate cash registers near a window, install bright lights inside and outside the store, and fence the perimeter to provide additional control on how people enter or exit the premises.

It’s also important to minimize the reward by using a time-released drop safe and implementing a policy of non-resistance. “Resisting in a robbery accelerates the likelihood of violence by about 49 times,” Lenard said.

According to the FBI’s annual report, Crime in the United States, property crimes dropped 2.6% in 2016, marking the 13th straight year the collective estimates for these offenses declined. NACS has many resources to assist convenience stores and gas stations in providing a safe environment for customers.