Tips for staying safe (and sane) this Christmas

It's 16 more days until Christmas!!

I hope a lot of us will be celebrating the holidays soon!?

As the end of the year wraps up, making sure everyone remains safe becomes even more important.?

We typically see a spike in workplace accidents and incidents around this time of year for a number of reasons.?

Often, it can feel like a mad rush to the finish line as you attempt to meet end of year quotas and complete projects before they close for the year.?

On the other hand, retail, travel, hospitality and healthcare sectors will experience one of the busiest times of year, and don't get a nice holiday.?

With the significant strains and stresses that the season brings, thoughts of workplace safety can go side-ward.?

So how do you make sure that your business is kept safe and everyone gets to go home for their holidays?

Take Time to Think in the Rush

When we're all frazzled in the end of year rush, employees may be focusing on what needs to get done, rather than how to keep themselves safe.

This lack of concentration, cutting corners, stress and fatigue can all lead to mistakes being made, and therefore injuries are at a higher risk.

According to WorkCover Queensland, the majority of injury claims they receive throughout the season are typically from situations that could have been avoided, like ladder injuries, slips and falls.

Even if it might take a little longer to finish those tasks, they won't be done if someone is injured and a lot of families will be having a sad start to their Christmas.

So make sure to stop and assess risks and if you can, help each other out to get things done together. - Tis the season of giving

Casual Staff Need to Stay Safe Too!

For those industries that see an increase in business around the holidays, Christmas casuals are often the solution to meet busy demands and relieve the full-time staff so they can go on annual leave.?

However, this can leave the business vulnerable, because most of the workforce is now unfamiliar with the workplace.

On top of this, safety inductions/training might be hurried as these?employees are hired during and?to deal with the rush.?

To make sure your newbies aren't going to get themselves injured, casual employees should receive the same training as other employees and be encouraged to speak up if they have any questions about safety methods or potential concerns.

WHS Should Extend to Work Christmas Parties

Christmas functions are a great way to allow your staff to unwind, socialise and celebrate the year that has been.

These parties can be a risk for employers though, pending on what activities you plan and if alcohol is permitted.

Even if the party is at a venue, employers still have a responsibility and legal duty of care during work related Christmas functions to keep their employees safe.

I'm not saying to ban alcohol, cause let's be real, it's unlikely to happen. But ensuring that food and non-alcoholic beverages are available, and that the location is reasonable for employees to organise alternative transport to driving.?

So that's my top tips for keeping safe this holiday season.?

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, spend time with family and friends, stay safe and have a happy new year!

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HSE Snippets

Gift Ideas for your team

If you want to surprise your team with a nice gift this Christmas, here's a handy list of some?good ideas. I also always recommend a santa steal -?see the rules

The Statistical Increase of Holiday Incidents

Did you know, over the past decade, almost 25% of all workplace fatalities occur in the lead up to the holiday season.?

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