Contractors who do nothing to stop
after-hours consumption of alcohol on
their job sites should take note of a
recent personal injury case heard in
North Carolina. A jury held that a
construction company that allowed
after-hours drinking on the job site
had to pay a $2.5 million award to a
motorist who was struck and injured
by an intoxicated employee. In the
case, the fact that the employee was
drinking on the contractor's controlled
job site held sway over arguments
that the employee violated the
contractor's written safety rule that
barred drinking on company property.
Social host. The case arose out of a
1986 automobile accident on a bridge.
A car driven by the defendant's
employee hit the