CultusNearly all of us who enjoy a pint have been in “that way” at sometime. We go out with our friends or colleagues after work to toast a promotion or celebrate the leaving of a particularly inhospitable boss or coworker. A quick drink turns into two pints or three glasses of wine and now we’ve put ourselves and the staff at our favorite pub or local club in a potentially bad situation. Fortunately, that bartender or waitress had completed an online RSA certificate and knew how to firmly and politely refuse us service.
It’s not a matter of being rude or trying to exert some sort of personal control. Australian Law requires staff at clubs, pubs and restaurants to refuse alcohol to any patron that appears to be intoxicated. Many people who may be intoxicated don’t even realize that their speech has become slurred, their balance is now wobbly and they are suffering from ataxia; which is a loss of muscle coordination due to alcohol consumption.
This is a requirement of every staff member who works in an Alcohol Licensed Australian business. It is why most establishments that now serve alcohol in Australia require a RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) Certificate as a condition of employment. The staff workers who are properly trained and understand why they need to refuse service to an intoxicated customer will do so gladly; understanding that they are protecting everyone involved.
Safety issues
Personal safety: Intoxicated patrons are much more likely to become victims of assault. The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction noted that in 2010, over 70,000 Australians were assaulted: verbally, physically and/or sexually. These include patrons, staff, responding authorities and innocent bystanders.
Property safety: Alcohol-influenced, violent behavior has also resulted in many incidents of vandalism and other types of property damage to include motor vehicle accidents, smashed windows and theft of property.
A staff member with an online RSA certificate can prevent these incidents before they happen. While no one wants to turn away a paying customer, they understand that stopping a patron when they are still in the “happy” stage of overindulging is much preferable to having to call in the police to break up a fight in their car park or to remove a group of patrons that are becoming more angry at their favorite sports team impending loss.
Additional employment opportunities
Getting ahead in interviews
Deciding to acquire additional skills and training is never simple, especially when it may be in a field that you have never considered before. Fortunately, getting an online RSA Certificate is a fairly simple process. Only in Victoria is it required to get an RSA in a classroom or another face to face type of setting. Having an RSA Certificate already in your possession makes you more employable to a potential boss. Your future employer will not have to pay the cost to send you to a training class or lose you to a day of training in front of a computer. For college students, this can be especially valuable in trying to find a part-time job or looking for weekend work in order to pay for their own social life.
For those Australians looking for full-time work, having that RSA Certificate gives you a step up in getting hired as a part of one of the few industries with steady growth: the hospitality industry. Right now, there are over 180,000 people currently working in what are determined by the Australian Hotel Association as pub-style hotels. Those are a lot of employment opportunities in what many still consider to be a soft economy. That’s not the end either, an RSA Certificate also allows you to dive into the hiring pool for the entertainment industry.
Take that step and prepare yourself for what can be a whole new world of opportunity. Good luck!
This article was written by Thom Sutley, who believes that an Online RSA Certificate can open plnety of doors, and help you keep patrons safe.