Serving Alcohol at Events: Employer Liability
If you are serving alcohol at an office party on your premises, you should take certain precautions. Your organization may be held liable for damages an intoxicated employee causes after leaving the party. You can read more about how to avoid alcohol at work-related incidents here.
When you are serving alcohol at your company event, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:
– tell employees in advance that you will be serving alcohol; they should not drink at the party and drive
– provide taxi chits to all employees who attend the party, or arrange for designated drivers
– limit the number of drinks provided to each person
– do not have an open or self-serve bar
– hire professionally trained servers and specifically direct them to stop serving alcohol to intoxicated people
For more information about how to navigate workplace complaints, please read our other blog, and please feel free to contact us at 1-800- 640-1728 or at [email protected]
The material and information in this blog and this website are for general information only. They should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. The authors make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of any information referred to in this blog or its links. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found on this website or blog. Readers should obtain appropriate professional advice from a lawyer duly licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. These materials do not create a lawyer-client relationship between you and any of the authors or the MacLeod Law Firm.
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