Employers beware. Those Halloween costumes, haunted houses, and themed Halloween workplaces can be work accidents waiting to happen. To be liable, the injury must have occurred on an employer’s premises and contain a degree of employer sponsorship.
Case in point: an accounting firm set up a stock room Halloween maze. A temp worker was running from a chainsaw wielding masked killer, ran into a wall and broke her nose. In another instance, an employee was sitting on a stool doing some work when a colleague in a mask jumped up and scared her causing her to fall and fracture a rib. There is also the inevitable trip and fall on a costume that’s too big, or the sudden illness from Halloween goodies left in the break room.
Employers also need to be aware of the most recent concerns about certain costumes that may be considered “inappropriate.” These costumes may constitute harassment or encourage stereotypes, which could make employees feel uncomfortable. In extreme situations, this could cause trauma that leads to a workers’ comp claim.
As innocent as it may seem, some of these hijinks can lead to serious injury and increased workers’ comp costs. Work Comp Staffing Solutions has many workers’ comp and general insurance solutions to keep your insurance rates as low as possible.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com