The legal landscape has changed and greater responsibility is being placed on licensed establishments to be accountable for the actions of their patrons. When it comes to exercising duty of care, employers can manage their risk by putting in place and properly managing a Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Program.
In addition to Serving It Right, the goal of a RBS program is to reduce alcohol-related problems. An effective approach involves the entire staff working together to create and enforce the establishment's house policies. A successful RBS program includes policies that help prevent service to underage and intoxicated patrons plus intervention techniques to help you manage your duty of care to patrons, other customers and the public.
It is only through proper and consistent implementation of house policies that you ensure responsible beverage service and shield your establishment from unwanted lawsuits.
Tools & Resources
go2 and the industry have developed some tools and resources to help you implement a responsible beverage service program and reinforce the concept to your staff and patrons.
How to Estimate Your Blood Alcohol Concentration
These resources contain a chart that helps guesstimate blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Responsible Beverage Service Tip Sheets
The following tip sheets cover a number of key topics around responsible beverage service. Print these off and use them at staff meetings or post in a staff room as a reminder.
Do you have a unique RBS tool or program in place? We would love to hear about them! Contact go2 at jlam@go2hr.ca and share your stories.
