Arnold Killjoy's Health & Safety Assessment

Mr Arnold Killjoy has assessed the risks, occupational health and health and safety arrangements pertaining to Mr Father Christmas and these are the findings:

Lone working

For most of the year Father Christmas heads up a crack team of operatives at his secret base in the North Pole, but for 24 hours Mr Christmas is exposed to being a lone worker and all the risks that come with this.

Mr Killjoy has highlighted 3 areas that pose the greatest risk to Father Christmas' lone worker safety.

These areas include:

• Transport (magical flying reindeer)
• Access (chimneys)
• Client Relationship Management (breaking and entering)

To mitigate the risk Father Christmas could exercise either of the following options:

• Remain in the North Pole with Mrs Christmas and the elves and let Rudolph have his moment of glory delivering presents.
• Take comfort from the fact that he’s been safe so far, so why worry? The chances of an incident are slim (unlike Father Christmas – ho ho ho).
• Invest in a tracking device, such as that used by the Norad Santa Tracker ( https://www.noradsanta.org/ ) which enables children across the globe to track Father Christmas' whereabouts and ensures he comes to no harm.

Arnold Killjoy Risk Rating -?

Good, but must try harder - a broom in wrapping paper just doesn't cut it.

Work scheduling, unsocial hours, cardiovascular health and travel related issues

Father Christmas’ work pattern, the peaks and troughs that he encounters and the unsocial hours he works are unusual.? The work that Father Christmas encounters is unevenly distributed throughout the year.

Little is known about what Father Christmas does for most of the year, but he is likely to be considered “unemployed” for a large portion of time.?

Mr Killjoy’s view is that for the Christmas period, where Father Christmas’ workload would demand that he exceed a typical eight-hour work day, he ought to be considered a shift worker who works a significant amount of seasonal overtime.

From what is known about Father Christmas, he displays two key cardiovascular risk factors: increased body-mass index (likely obesity), and a smoking habit at times.? Dietary patterns and metabolic responses to food have previously been established to be disrupted by shift work, and increased snacking has been seen in night shift workers, who are furthermore hampered in their efforts to maintain a healthy exercise balance.

It should be noted that Father Christmas’ working hours during wintertime would be expected to fall within the hours of darkness at the North Pole and this increases the risk of fatigue which is certainly a workplace hazard that should be managed appropriately through the offer of a health assessment at the very least.

It is noted that Father Christmas’ consumption of milk, alcohol, mince pies and cookies may exceed recommendations in most national nutritional guidelines and that it is unclear what he does for physical activity.? In Mr Killjoy’s book, this is certainly a flag for further investigation.

Additionally, the nature of Father Christmas’ work demands that a large volume of tasks be done in a limited period of time, likely leading to work stress, which has in itself been linked to increased cardiovascular risk.

Arnold Killjoy Risk Rating -?

That's more like it - a few fairy lights can go a long way.

Working with children and animals

Father Christmas commits the cardinal sin of working with children and animals, a phrase that gets bandied about, but it means nothing to our hero in red.

Father Christmas is most definitely DBS checked and approved so there are no worries on that score, but the welfare of animals is something that has intrigued Mr Killjoy.

Reindeer come under the Veterinary Regulations and will require frequent meal and comfort breaks which Mr Killjoy has been made aware that they will get more than enough of through the frequent stop/start nature of the work that Father Christmas performs and the high level of carrots that will be left out for the reindeer.? Mr Killjoy advised that the consumption of food stuff should be kept in check and a reasonable amount of time should be left after eating before flying.

There are also weight restrictions on how much each animal can pull and Mr Killjoy wants to be sure that the RSPCA has been asked to ensure that the animals are not being stressed by making them work so hard over such a short period of time.

The Reindeers’ harnesses should be loose fitting so as not to cause chafing, there is nothing worse than chafing, and be regularly checked for wear and tear, and replaced as necessary.

Mr Killjoy was reminded during this phase of the assessment that the reindeer are magical creatures and do not fit the stereotype of such animals.? The report was told that this may be so, but rules are rules.

Arnold Killjoy Risk Rating -?

It's not important, magical or not, you must always keep health and safety in mind.

Equipment Safety

Father Christmas needs to pay very close attention to the equipment he uses.

Employers are legally required to ensure that all equipment supplied and used for work purposes is safe and does not pose a long-term hazard or risk to employee health. In this case Father Christmas is deemed as the employer, so all responsibility falls on Father Christmas, hence the absolute focus required.

It is also worth noting that Father Christmas, as an employer, is also required to ensure that those using equipment have sufficient knowledge and training to use it safely.

Father Christmas should be well aware of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and there are a number of measures he should be taking to ensure that risks created by the work equipment are eliminated or controlled, including:

• selecting suitable equipment and maintaining it properly;
• carrying out a risk assessment to identify any risks presented by work equipment;
• following the manufacturers’ instructions for use and maintenance;
• ensuring a robust system of defective fault reporting is in place, and that employees use this system.

A key part of equipment used by Father Christmas is the sleigh.? It should be of good air worthy condition and carry all necessary documents.?

Seatbelts need to be fitted and worn during take off and landing, emergency exits must be clearly marked and clear of obstructions.

As all large bodies of water are flown over, life jackets must be carried, Port & Starboard designation lights must be fitted and it must be noted that the glowing red nose of Rudolf is not an acceptable warning light for other air space users.

A fire extinguisher and First Aid Kit must be carried.?

As the sleigh has an open cockpit Santa must have suitable clothing to protect him from the extreme cold of northern Alaska and the heat of central Africa & Australia.

Good quality, shatterproof eye protection must be worn (insect or reindeer excrement strike at 2000 miles per second could certainly impair vision).?

As there are extreme forces due to acceleration and deceleration a full climate controlled outfit with integral ‘G’ suit is recommended. This is available from NASA and other specialist stockists.

Arnold Killjoy Risk Rating -?

This area is not acceptable - in fact, it's worse than one desperate piece of tinsel in the office.

Environment

It is very important for Father Christmas to be aware of his wide ranging and fast changing environment.

It is noted that Father Christmas "has always done things like this" but there are specific areas he needs to be aware of to keep himself and others safe.

Parking of the sleigh is important.? As the sleigh is parked on roof tops, most of which are in areas of temperate climates and have pitched roofs, care must be taken and a good quality working boot should be worn giving good ankle support for the sloped surface.?

For areas in the Northern half of the Northern hemisphere where the temperature will invariably be below zero, a good non-slip soled shoe (with possible crampon fitment for snowy conditions) should be worn.

High visibility jacket and hard hat should also be worn, as well as a support harness.? Ideally, for fragile roofs, duck crawling boards must be used.?

Suitable training should be given to enable Father Christmas to lift any heavy presents destined for especially good children, and special care should be taken when stretching to reach presents from the back of the sleigh. Clambering over the pile of presents should be avoided due to the unstable nature of the footing, this can be achieved by packing the presents in the order required.?

All dangerous materials, chemistry sets etc, should be suitably marked, have relevant COSHH sheets attached, and be stowed in a flameproof container.?

Chimneys Care should be taken when entering the chimney. The use of ladders is recommended, and also the safety harness. Due to the dark environment, a lamp should be used (miner's type would be preferable to enable hands’ free usage).? Respiration equipment and eye protection must also be worn due to the dust, soot and smoke.

All clothing should be manufactured from non-flammable materials, and be heat and flame proof as many of the chimneys will have lit fires below. This also means that footwear should have asbestos or similar heat resistant soles.

Care should be taken to keep the high visibility jacket clean.

Setting down of presents Care should be taken when entering the room. Dogs, security guards and surveillance equipment should be catered for and attack by dogs can be prevented by the wearing of thick over-garments or even a decoy piece of steak.

For surveillance equipment and security guards, Santa's own sleight of hand will have to suffice.

Caution should be taken around Christmas trees which are normally covered in sharp needles and fragile glass baubles.

If Santa's clothing is wet due to rain or melted snow there is a definite risk of electrocution with the Christmas lights. A rubber mat should be provided to prevent such a problem.

Manual handling training should be given to show the correct way to set down large presents. Trip hazards should be looked out for, e.g. last year's discarded toys on the floor of children's bedrooms.?

Arnold Killjoy Risk Rating -

Frankly - more effort is needed.

Arnold Killjoy Overall Summary

Taking into account all of the above, it’s fair to say that it’s a good job Father Christmas is covered under the National ELF service, as he is definitely a health risk!

Keep following #FestiveFinance for more festive fun in the build up to Christmas!