February 2006
By Dale J. Venturini
President/CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
From fire codes to health code regulations, hospitality businesses have to consistently take stock at the way they do business to determine whether they are in compliance with a host of important rules and requirements. With the start of the new year, business owners in Rhode Island should take heed of new regulations that have recently gone into effect – the alcohol server training law.
The alcohol server training law, enacted on January 1, 2006, requires all hospitality establishments with liquor licenses to meet alcohol server training and certification requirements. Now that the law is officially in effect, it’s time to ask the question: is your business in compliance?
The law requires that all employees that serve alcohol, hold supervisory capacity over those who serve alcohol, valet cars or check IDs must receive certification through a state-sanctioned, four-hour training program. Current employees without prior training must receive certification by April 1, 2006, and any new employees must obtain training within 60 days of being hired. And, employees must be re-certified every three years.
The Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH) is responsible for certifying alcohol server training programs. Eligible programs will be evaluated and certified based on its efficacy in teaching the following criteria: the physiological effects of alcohol, alcohol’s association with social problems, the legal requirements related to alcohol service, how to identify patrons who are impaired, and techniques in refusing service to intoxicated patrons. A list of certified programs is listed on both the MHRH’s website, http://www.mhrh.state.ri.us/, and the website of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations, http://www.dbr.state.ri.us/.*
During the last few weeks, the Association has received an influx of calls from both members and non-members, asking how and where to obtain training, which employees are required to receive training, and when they would need to be trained by. To accurately gauge whether your business is in compliance, it is important to understand the law’s regulations. The Association is always available to answer any questions you may have with this or any issue, but as the opportunity is at hand, I hope to answer some of the inquiries we have been getting, here.
One question the Association has been asked by several members is whether door staff needs to be certified. In the language of the law, door staff refers to bouncers or any person who checks ID at a restaurant, bar or club. This does not refer to hosts or hostesses, and as such, they would not be required to receive server training.
Even though employees who do not serve alcohol do not need to be trained, it is important to know what your business’ liability is. On a busy night, an employee who normally doesn’t serve alcohol may jump in behind the bar, or serve a glass of wine to a patron dining at a table. Even if this person were to serve drinks only once a year, they need to be certified. As prevalent as frivolous lawsuits have become, it would be foolish to open your business to liability by not ensuring that the necessary employees were certified.
Another frequent question the Association has been receiving is whether prior certification is recognized under the new law. Any hospitality employee that has received alcohol server training prior to December 31, 2005 is considered certified for three years. Some training programs, such as TIPS, have expiration dates, and those dates would still apply. Furthermore, if an employee has received training in another state with a program sanctioned by Rhode Island, their certification would be valid under the Rhode Island law.
The passing and enacting of the alcohol server training law not only provides servers the knowledge and confidence necessary to serve alcohol responsibly, it also may lower your insurance costs. The Association encourages business owners to contact their insurance agencies, to see what kind of discounts they offer to businesses for providing alcohol server training to their employees.
We also encourage you to call the Association with any questions on the alcohol server training law, and also to learn more about ServSafe Alcohol™, the nationally-accredited program offered by RIHTA. The next four-hour ServSafe Alcohol™ course will take place at the RIHTA offices in Cranston from 8am to noon on February 20th. To assist hospitality owners in bringing their businesses into compliance, RIHTA can administer ServSafe Alcohol™ at their place of business for a nominal fee. Give us a call at (401) 223-1120 today.
*At press time, MHRH was still in the process of certifying programs. In the meantime, establishments may seek training for their employees utilizing existing alcohol server training programs, which will be recognized for up to three years.
By Dale J. Venturini
President/CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
From fire codes to health code regulations, hospitality businesses have to consistently take stock at the way they do business to determine whether they are in compliance with a host of important rules and requirements. With the start of the new year, business owners in Rhode Island should take heed of new regulations that have recently gone into effect – the alcohol server training law.
The alcohol server training law, enacted on January 1, 2006, requires all hospitality establishments with liquor licenses to meet alcohol server training and certification requirements. Now that the law is officially in effect, it’s time to ask the question: is your business in compliance?
The law requires that all employees that serve alcohol, hold supervisory capacity over those who serve alcohol, valet cars or check IDs must receive certification through a state-sanctioned, four-hour training program. Current employees without prior training must receive certification by April 1, 2006, and any new employees must obtain training within 60 days of being hired. And, employees must be re-certified every three years.
The Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH) is responsible for certifying alcohol server training programs. Eligible programs will be evaluated and certified based on its efficacy in teaching the following criteria: the physiological effects of alcohol, alcohol’s association with social problems, the legal requirements related to alcohol service, how to identify patrons who are impaired, and techniques in refusing service to intoxicated patrons. A list of certified programs is listed on both the MHRH’s website, http://www.mhrh.state.ri.us/, and the website of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations, http://www.dbr.state.ri.us/.*
During the last few weeks, the Association has received an influx of calls from both members and non-members, asking how and where to obtain training, which employees are required to receive training, and when they would need to be trained by. To accurately gauge whether your business is in compliance, it is important to understand the law’s regulations. The Association is always available to answer any questions you may have with this or any issue, but as the opportunity is at hand, I hope to answer some of the inquiries we have been getting, here.
One question the Association has been asked by several members is whether door staff needs to be certified. In the language of the law, door staff refers to bouncers or any person who checks ID at a restaurant, bar or club. This does not refer to hosts or hostesses, and as such, they would not be required to receive server training.
Even though employees who do not serve alcohol do not need to be trained, it is important to know what your business’ liability is. On a busy night, an employee who normally doesn’t serve alcohol may jump in behind the bar, or serve a glass of wine to a patron dining at a table. Even if this person were to serve drinks only once a year, they need to be certified. As prevalent as frivolous lawsuits have become, it would be foolish to open your business to liability by not ensuring that the necessary employees were certified.
Another frequent question the Association has been receiving is whether prior certification is recognized under the new law. Any hospitality employee that has received alcohol server training prior to December 31, 2005 is considered certified for three years. Some training programs, such as TIPS, have expiration dates, and those dates would still apply. Furthermore, if an employee has received training in another state with a program sanctioned by Rhode Island, their certification would be valid under the Rhode Island law.
The passing and enacting of the alcohol server training law not only provides servers the knowledge and confidence necessary to serve alcohol responsibly, it also may lower your insurance costs. The Association encourages business owners to contact their insurance agencies, to see what kind of discounts they offer to businesses for providing alcohol server training to their employees.
We also encourage you to call the Association with any questions on the alcohol server training law, and also to learn more about ServSafe Alcohol™, the nationally-accredited program offered by RIHTA. The next four-hour ServSafe Alcohol™ course will take place at the RIHTA offices in Cranston from 8am to noon on February 20th. To assist hospitality owners in bringing their businesses into compliance, RIHTA can administer ServSafe Alcohol™ at their place of business for a nominal fee. Give us a call at (401) 223-1120 today.
*At press time, MHRH was still in the process of certifying programs. In the meantime, establishments may seek training for their employees utilizing existing alcohol server training programs, which will be recognized for up to three years.
