A safety checklist for your end of year functions

Christmas is just around the corner, and most likely, you and your staff are looking forward to enjoying some hard-earned downtime at an end of year or festive party.

But throwing a good party requires more than booking the venue and organising a Secret Santa gift exchange. You need to take steps to make it a safe and incident-free party.

Positive duty under the Respect@Work legislation requires employers to proactively prevent and eliminate sex discrimination and sexual harassment, including during workplace events.

Any inappropriate conduct at these events, including social media activity related to the event, could constitute harassment or breach workplace policies.

There are a number of practical steps employers could take to mitigate risks at workplace events, including clear policies on alcohol consumption, supervision, and safe transportation.

Being in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), you are no doubt familiar with a checklist – it’s a daily part of your risk management and hazard identification procedures. In that spirit, we’ve prepared an end of year party checklist to help you provide a risk-free festive season for everyone.

End of year party safety checklist

• Venue: If your function will take place outdoors, there may be additional environmental hazards, such as high temperatures or slippery surfaces caused by rain. Check whether first aid facilities are available at the venue. If alcohol will be served, ensure both venue staff and waitstaff hold a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate.

• Security: Remind your team that the event is scheduled for a specific timeframe and ensure that everyone has left the premises once it concludes. Also, depending on the type of party, you might need to check you have a sufficient level of security.

• Food and beverage options: You will need to accommodate any special dietary requirements for your team, whether it’s plant-based diets, allergies or religious accommodation. Place time limits on the alcohol supply and remember if you arrange or pay for drinks at alternative venues after the event finishes, this extends your liability.

• Responsible drinking: Ensure your team understand the repercussions of excess drinking, the legal driving limits and their responsibility to drink alcohol sensibly and legally. Don’t supply underage employees with alcohol and take steps to address workplace attitudes that condone excessive drinking.

• Inappropriate behaviour: Put supervision in place to prevent excessive drinking or other inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Ensure there are steps in place to prevent such behaviour and clear guidance on how to respond if a complaint of bullying or harassment is made. The duty on employers extends to protecting against conduct like sexual banter or innuendo that increases the risk of sexual harassment or the development of an intimidating or humiliating environment.

• Social media: If you do not already have one in place, consider implementing a social media policy. Staff should also be made aware that posting inappropriate photos or comments from the party could constitute harassment and may lead to disciplinary action.

• Transportation to and from the venue: Consider providing travel to and from the function. If you can’t arrange staff transportation, alternate means can include taxis, Uber or public transport.

What if a third party will host the event?

If a third-party provider will be organising and hosting the event, you will need to ensure that the provider is competent and that the activity is safe for all workers.

To do this, check that the third-party provider:

• is qualified to host the event
• has experience hosting similar functions or events
• has proper systems in place to control any risks involved with the activity, e.g.
• security, first aid supplies and policies for serving alcohol responsibly
• has enough resources to ensure that systems will be operating effectively, e.g.
• sufficient security guards and other staff
• has a safe environment in which to host the function and a good safety record.

Behaviour which crosses the line can put you and your staff at risk, so make sure your party  preparation checklist is checked twice! By taking these steps, you are helping to ensure a safe function that will be enjoyable for all your staff.

For any questions about developing or reviewing your centre’s social media and workplace policies, please get in touch with Holding Redlich Partner Michael Selinger or Partner Megan Cant.