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Overview of Mandated Responsible Beverage Service Training
Responsible beverage service (RBS) training programs give owners, managers, and staff of establishments that sell and serve alcohol the knowledge and skills to help them serve alcohol responsibly and meet the legal requirements of alcohol service.
Training programs for managers and owners most often provide guidance on the implementation of service policies and practices. Training programs for servers focus on knowledge and skills that enhance their ability to prevent excessive alcohol consumption among patrons and minimize harms from excessive drinking that has already occurred.1
The Goal of Mandated Responsible Beverage Service Training
Responsible beverage service programs target both on-premise and off-premise alcohol retailers and are designed to reduce sales to minors and intoxicated adults. Responsible beverage service training is an alcohol policy aimed at reducing easy retail access of alcohol by underage youth.
The goals and objectives of responsible beverage service training are to:
- Train and educate sellers/servers to engage in responsible alcohol service
- Spot signs of intoxication and use various intervention techniques
- Prevent DUIs and alcohol-related fatalities
- Stop underage sales and underage drinking
- Create safer communities and establishments where alcohol is served
- Educate owners, managers, and staff on dram shop insurance, state laws, and local ordinances regarding alcohol service
Why Mandated RBS Training is Important to Communities
The Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) reports in the past year, 19% of high school seniors usually got their own beer, wine, or liquor from a retail source.2
Environmental strategies like responsible beverage service training can produce widespread and lasting change by influencing community norms, changing institutional rules and regulations, and reducing the availability of alcohol to underage youth.
Considerations for Planning and Implementing RBS Training
Responsible beverage service training provides the training to assist those who sell and serve alcohol with the knowledge and skills to serve alcohol responsibly, while compliance checks are used to ensure merchants are following the law, checking IDs, and not selling alcohol to underage youth. Communities should always include the enforcement aspect of compliance checks along with responsible beverage training.
Required Training Dates for Mandated RBS Training
Public Act 99-0046 was signed by the Illinois General Assembly in July 2015. This law requires alcohol servers and those who check IDs for alcohol service in Illinois on-premise establishments to successfully complete a Beverage Alcohol Sellers/Servers Education and Training (BASSET) class every three years. This law takes effect by a predetermined date based upon county population from the 2010 U.S. Census.3
It is important to note that some municipalities and county liquor licensing authorities have additional RBS training requirements beyond the state law. Each alcohol retailer should become familiar with both the state law and local requirements in their community.
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission houses a list of upcoming BASSET training courses being held throughout the state of Illinois as well as additional resources about responsible beverage service training.
References
- The Community Guide. Alcohol – Excessive Consumption: Responsible Beverage Service Training. Web. August 2017
- Center for Prevention Research and Development. (2019). Illinois Youth Survey 2018 Frequency Report: State of Illinois. Champaign, IL: CPRD, School of Social Work, University of Illinois.
- Illinois Liquor Control Commission. https://www.illinois.gov/ilcc/about/Pages/About.aspx