Saturday, November 1, 2014

Barmen Training Being Urged in Ireland


     This is a problem that can lead to problems for the bar industry.  Here in Florida it is only illegal to serve two groups of people at a bar, customers under the age of 21 and known alcoholics.     I have taken two courses that bartenders are being urged to take by the liability insurance companies.   “Tips” is one course that I took and  it provided me with a lot of insight on how to spot problems in the bar before they become serious issues.   Below is an article about how the “Pub” owners are being urged to train their barmen to spot these problems.
 

"Bar managers are being urged to ensure staff complete a new hard-hitting training course in order to be better equipped to spot alcohol misuse."

     The recommendation comes as Alcohol Action Ireland revealed more than 1,000 people in the country had died from alcohol-related causes in the last 12 months.

     The Responsible Serving of Alcohol Program on-line training course, designed by private industry training consultant Alcohol.ie, features a graphic video, was filmed in The Odeon Bar in Dublin and shows “good” and “bad” bartenders dealing with drunken, unruly and underage customers.

     Its aim is to train bar staff on appropriate intervention techniques and how to spot problem drinking and drunk customers.

     According to Mary Kennedy, chief executive of Alcohol.ie the video, endorsed by the State tourist board, Failte Ireland, the Licensed Vintners Association, the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland and the Irish Hotels Federation, did “raise industry eyebrows”.

     “They were a bit wide-eyed,” Kennedy told the Independent Ireland. “A lot of them did go ‘wow’.”

     One scene depicts a drunken customer storming out of a bar and kicking over a bar stool before swearing at the female bartender, while another shows a “creepy bartender” leering at a group of women running riot rather than intervening.

     The final scene, however, shows a “menacing” bartender antagonise a group of underage drinkers who have no proof of age with taunts such as “run home to mummy and daddy” before the teens retaliate aggressively.

     Bar staff are not required to hold licenses to serve alcohol, but can face civil and criminal prosecution for breaking the law by serving drinks to those who are underage or someone who is already drunk.