Q. What is TIPS?
A. Training for Intervention Procedures is a certification program for servers and sellers of alcohol. Trainers must be licensed by Health Communications, Inc. of Washington, DC. who also maintains a database for verification of training for establishments, courts, and insurance companies.
Q. Who developed the program?
A. Dr. Morris E. Chafetz, one of the world's leading authorities on alcohol and the founding director of the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse developed the first program in 1982. His goal was to create a program that would give bartenders and waiters the skills and confidence they need to prevent their customers from becoming intoxicated.
Q. How can TIPS certification lower my liability?
A. Insurance companies acknowlege the value of TIPS as a risk reduction tool by offering savings up to 25% on liquor liability coverage to businesses with certified staff. Courts recognize it as the standard for server training programs. Liquor boards mitigate fines and penalties for establishments with violations who either use TIPS training or acquire it after the fact. This proactive certification program prevents liquor law violations and fines by providing you with a 'Reasonable Efforts' defense in a court of law. So far as we know, no one who is TIPS certified has ever been successfully sued in a liquor liability lawsuit.
Q. Where can I get the training?
A. The Bartenders School of Roslyn, PA offers both on-premise and off-premise training sessions.