Bar and restaurant owners can face lawsuits if their customers become intoxicated and damage property, injure themselves or hurt others.
Many people, however, are unaware that this liability applies to anyone who serves alcohol, not just those in the bar, restaurant and entertainment industry. So here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re hosting a party with alcohol for your employees this summer.
If alcohol is on the menu at your summer event, take precautions to prevent your staff from driving while intoxicated — even if your attendees are in the single digits. This will reduce the risk of them injuring themselves or others and lower your chances of facing a lawsuit.
The first step is serving alcohol responsibly, thereby preventing employees from becoming intoxicated and driving while impaired. If someone leaves the event, drives impaired and is involved in an accident, the individual(s) who provided the alcohol could be held liable. In fact, not only could you face legal action from the third party that was hurt in an accident, but also from the impaired driver that was served at your event.
Keep in mind that even if the event was catered and professional bartenders were exclusively responsible for serving drinks, the host can still be held liable for making sure guests don’t drive while impaired.
Taking action to prevent alcohol-related accidents shows genuine concern for your guests’ well-being and demonstrates that you made an effort to keep guests from drinking excessively and driving while impaired.
Here are a few things you can do to help your guests arrive home safely:
Attitude
It all starts with your attitude.
Transportation
Here are a few simple ways to stop partygoers from drinking and driving:
Monitoring
Monitoring staff is one way to show them you care.
If someone clearly isn’t able to drive, ask for their car keys and arrange their transportation home. Make sure they’re escorted to a taxi or alternate vehicle.
Don’t view these added costs as expenses but rather as investments in your staff and business partners. It’s easy to break down these issues from a corporate-liability standpoint but their greatest impact is in human terms. While insurance may help cover defence costs and lawsuits, it can’t replace a life. So take appropriate measures to keep your guests safe this summer!