Is Santa Working in a Safe and Healthy Environment?

When Santa got stuck up the chimney …

… we at Source Solutions got very worried about the health and safety practices he was implementing. We thought a little review of them was required.

1.      Heavy lifting

According to our research, throughout the duration of Christmas eve, Mr. Clause carries a sack that contains ‘toys for all the good little children in the world’. While we can’t make an accurate judgement of how many toys that is, we feel confident in concluding that it is too much for an aging man (historical records put him at around 1750 years old) to carry. We would recommend that Mr. Claus splits up his load and hires a younger assistant to deal with lifting duties, as well as taking a level 2 moving and handling course.

2.      Working at a high altitude

Father Christmas’s method of working – landing on rooftops in a flying sled – carries several safety risks. Working at altitude without a larger safety structure such as scaffolding should only be attempted when securely fastened to a harness or other safety equipment. Mr. Clause appears to walk around at these great heights unattached, which is dangerous in itself. Furthermore, he appears to take numerous animals onto these rooftops with him. We would strongly advise against this without very extensive safety considerations for the creatures themselves and everyone who comes into contact with them.

3.      Climbing down chimneys

From analysing images of Mr. Claus, we have ascertained that he does not have the correct personal protective equipment for working in confined spaces. Secondly, the fire risk is severe in this area. We cannot ascertain whether Mr. Clause has fire safety training. Given the likelihood of him encountering a lit fire in his visitations to every chimney in the world though, we must advise that even the highest level of qualification is not enough to mitigate this risk.

Finally, and without wishing insult on this sensitive point. Mr. Clause does not appear to have the ideal build for operating in tight spaces. There are records in song form of past incidences where the man in question has become stuck. Although he eventually got out, he was forced to admit that the ‘girls and boys wouldn’t get any toys if they didn’t get him out.’.  Not wishing to see this happen again, we would recommend an alternative method of entry to buildings.

If you are reading this Father Christmas, we think you do a great job, but we are a little anxious about your safety. That’s why we would like to send you an open invitation to one of our health and safety courses.

Merry Christmas!

To get more information about our courses, how we can help you with your training needs or to book a course, please email sally@sourcesolutionsuk.co.uk or call 01482 291499.