Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death in countries all over the world each year, but not necessarily for the reasons that you might think. While it’s true that consuming far too much alcohol too often can have negative effects on a person’s health and can lead to situations like heart disease, liver damage, and worse, it is alcohol-related deaths as they relate to drunk drivers that is a much more pressing cause for concern. As a food service professional in Melbourne, an alcohol-related death has the potential to affect you in a wide range of different ways.
Drink Driving: It’s Your Responsibility, Now
Say, as a bartender, you’ve been serving the same patron all night and you’re well aware of how much alcohol he’s already consumed. You know that he’s probably had enough, but he’s insistent, so you continue to serve him anyway. Now, heaven forbid, say that man later gets behind the wheel of a car and gets into an accident. As a food service professional, your relationship with that man doesn’t end the moment he walks out the door. In fact, it’s only just begun.
In the event of an alcohol-related death from this type of circumstance, both you and the business that you work for could be legally responsible. In Australia (as is common in many other countries in the world, like in the United States) it is your responsibility to monitor the alcohol consumption of your patrons and refuse to serve them if you feel like they’ve had enough or if they look like they might pose a potential danger to themselves or others. Not only could you be taken to court, but also if the situation is severe enough you could end up being charged with criminal negligence at the same time.
Make no mistake about it: if you’re serving a patron who you feel should not have any more, you need to stop serving them alcohol. End of story. If you suspect that they may also drive home in their current state, it is your further duty to do whatever you can to help them get home safely.
Responsible Service of Alcohol
At RSA Melbourne, these are just a few of the many reasons why we take the responsible service of alcohol very seriously. Not only do you need to make sure that you have the knowledge and skills in place to put your best foot forward regardless of your job, but our RSA course can also help you better identify situations where your career (or worse, the lives of your patrons) may be in danger. Our courses are designed to help you learn everything that you need to know about serving alcohol, including the laws in and around the Melbourne area, the responsibilities that you must adhere to as the person serving alcohol, your relationships with customers and more.
