The Responsible Service of Alcohol program provided in Australia offers a great deal of useful information that can ensure that businesses like bars, clubs and restaurants who are licensed to sell alcohol can provide a safe environment that people can enjoy. For anyone who wishes to acquire a liquor license, the RSA program isn’t simply a suggestion, it’s mandatory.
Some of the topics that are covered in this program include things like the facts about alcohol and their effect on the human body. The RSA also explains all the problems that come with excessive consumption of alcohol such as alcoholism and behavioural changes, not to mention issues with the law. How to know when it becomes important to cut off a customer who has consumed too much is also covered. Since a customer who is heavily saturated with alcohol can get rowdy, the topic of how to deal with a difficult customer or a group of difficult customers will also be discussed.
Who needs to take an RSA?
In addition to waiters and bartenders, airline staff and security staff will also have to take the RSA training. Why? Because if you happen to have a passenger on-board an airplane who is drunk and gets out of control, you’ll need to know how to handle them. The same goes for security staff that has been hired to maintain order at an event like a banquet or convention. It’s unavoidable that someone is going to get out of hand. Security needs to be aware on what to expect. An intoxicated attendee can go from loud and obnoxious to violent very quickly, which can be a problem for all involved. The training itself will be beneficial to staff members in all areas of hospitality.
Both the management and the staff of a hospitality business like a restaurant or a bar are responsible not just for whom they sell alcohol to, but also the behaviour of the patrons they serve. Doing so not only ensures the well-being of the drinker but of the customers as well. The RSA program exists and is law enforced because without it, patrons would be allowed to roam free. In an intoxicated state they can get violent. Some will even take to getting in their cars and driving off, potentially hurting themselves and others on the road. Awareness has become somewhat of a tool to give those in charge of maintaining order that knowledge they need to do so.
The RSA program will allow staff members to recognise the warning signs of a heavily intoxicated patron so that they can decide when to refuse to serve them alcoholic beverages any further and how to safely take them out of the establishment and get them in a taxi before they harm themselves.