RSA Risk Assessment & Mitigation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer has been at the bar for three hours and orders his fifth drink. What is the FIRST risk factor you should assess?
- The type of alcohol being ordered
- Total consumption over time combined with visible signs of intoxication (Correct answer)
- Whether the customer has eaten food recently
- The customer's age and ID validity
Correct answer: Total consumption over time combined with visible signs of intoxication
Time-based consumption patterns combined with behavioral cues are the primary indicators used to assess cumulative intoxication risk.
Question 2: Which environmental factor in a bar setting MOST increases the risk of over-service incidents?
- Loud music that makes communication difficult
- Dim lighting that obscures patron behavior (Correct answer)
- High staff-to-patron ratios during peak hours
- Proximity to public transportation
Correct answer: Dim lighting that obscures patron behavior
Dim lighting makes it harder for staff to observe behavioral cues of intoxication, significantly increasing the likelihood of over-service.
Question 3: A group of coworkers arrives for a holiday party and one member begins drinking much faster than the others. What is the best mitigation strategy?
- Ask the group's organizer to monitor their colleague
- Slow service to the fast drinker and offer water and food proactively (Correct answer)
- Immediately cut off the fast drinker after two drinks
- Notify management and wait for further instructions
Correct answer: Slow service to the fast drinker and offer water and food proactively
Proactively slowing service and offering food and water is an early intervention that reduces risk before visible intoxication occurs.
Question 4: Under a dram shop liability framework, when is an establishment MOST legally exposed for an alcohol-related incident?
- When a customer drives and gets into an accident after being served while visibly intoxicated (Correct answer)
- When a customer complains about the quality of service
- When an employee serves alcohol without checking ID
- When a customer leaves without paying their tab
Correct answer: When a customer drives and gets into an accident after being served while visibly intoxicated
Dram shop laws hold establishments liable when they serve visibly intoxicated patrons who then cause harm, particularly in traffic accidents.
Question 5: What is the safest approach when you suspect a patron may be intoxicated but are not completely certain?
- Serve one more drink and observe behavior closely
- Err on the side of caution and slow or stop service (Correct answer)
- Ask the patron directly if they feel drunk
- Check with other patrons at the table for their opinion
Correct answer: Err on the side of caution and slow or stop service
When in doubt, responsible servers should default to caution because the legal and safety risks of over-service far outweigh the inconvenience of slowing service.
Question 6: A patron shows signs of intoxication but insists they are fine and gets aggressive when service is refused. What is the appropriate next step?
- Serve one more drink to de-escalate the situation
- Involve a manager or security personnel to handle the refusal (Correct answer)
- Call 911 immediately
- Ask other patrons to persuade the individual to leave
Correct answer: Involve a manager or security personnel to handle the refusal
Escalating to a manager or security allows the refusal to be handled safely and professionally without putting the server at risk.
Question 7: Which practice BEST reduces the risk that a customer will drive drunk after leaving your establishment?
- Offering free coffee before the customer leaves
- Proactively arranging alternative transportation such as calling a rideshare (Correct answer)
- Informing the customer of local DUI laws
- Asking the customer to wait 30 minutes before leaving
Correct answer: Proactively arranging alternative transportation such as calling a rideshare
Actively arranging alternative transportation removes the barrier that might prevent an intoxicated patron from making a safe choice.
RSA Risk Assessment & Mitigation 2
A customer has been at the bar for three hours and orders his fifth drink.
What is the FIRST risk factor you should assess?