Safety at Christmas parties

It is Christmas party season and we are all gearing up for the obligatory work Christmas party. A time for employees to let their hair down and for employers to reward staff for their work over the past year, which has been a particularly challenging one. But some employees may question, 'Do they know it’s Christmas?', when their employers conduct a risk assessment for the Christmas party. However, this is very sensible as an employer may well be held to be liable if an employee is injured or abused in any way during an office party.

Even for social events held outside of office premises and office hours, employees retain their employment rights and employers must continue to safeguard their health and safety. Therefore, in preparation for your Christmas party you may want to consider taking the following precautions, before your judgement gets too clouded with Christmas cheer.

Undertaking a formal risk assessment – this will enable you to identify, assess and minimise potential risks and, should the worst happen, you can show that you have considered the risks and taken measures to minimise them.

Updating and promoting human resources policies – Workplace policies should reflect the level of behaviour expected from employees during Christmas parties and social events and, in particular, the approach taken to the consumption of alcohol. Employees should also be made aware of the penalties where they do not comply. An email prior to any event may serve as a friendly reminder.

Reiterate policy in relation to alcohol consumption – alcohol tends to create the most potential for trouble at any party. Employees should be reminded of what is acceptable in terms of alcohol consumption. You may want to consider implementing a ticket system so employees are limited to the amount of alcohol they receive, make sure there are plenty of soft drinks available and that food is available to soak up the alcohol.

If you would like assistance with risk assessments and/or Human Resources policies, please contact Advantage Health and Safety