Major retailers are cracking down on staff who are caught planking while on the job.
The flat-lying fad which is sweeping Australia is proving unpopular with bosses who claim the manoeuvre is jeopardising the health and safety of staff.
Food superstore Woolworths has sacked eight employees across three states this week for planking on top of meat grinders, display shelves, trolleys and stacks of milk crates, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The staff, including managers, regular staff, nightfill workers and casual employees, boasted about their escapades online, before being dismissed.
Woolworths' risk and safety general manager Anthony Wilson told the newspaper bosses were not trying to be killjoys, it was a case of the plankers putting themselves and customers at risk.
"It's not about being the fun police, it's about making sure people are looking out for their own safety," Mr Wilson said.
"(Planking) is a direct contradiction of our safety and health policy. Our employees have a responsibility to ensure their own safety and the safety of those around them."
The popularity of planking, which involves lying flat and face-down on top of an object and being photographed, has rocketed recently, but also brought widespread condemnation from authorities.
One man has already died attempting to pull the stunt on a balcony in Brisbane, with police making a series of arrests relating to people planking in public across the country.
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