World Cup 2010 advice for licensees

2nd June 2010, 1:54pm

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has issued clear guidance for pubs, in discussion with local Government organisation LACORS, to help ensure the World Cup events run smoothly, safely and successfully.

The guidance provides a handy checklist for licensees to run through in making sure all angles to running a successful event are considered and covered.

• Make sure that the DPS is on duty if possible. If not, a duty manager should be available to oversee the event

• Ensure sufficient staff numbers are in place to cope with the anticipated number of customers

• Make sure that the event is discussed with all staff and that any local police concerns are addressed and staff are aware

• If you feel admission could be an issue, consider use of Door Supervisors (remembering that they must be SIA registered) to help control the number of people watching the game

• Review access to premises and consider restricting the number of entrances (should fire regulations permit)

• Consider the use of tickets to control admission and prevent overcrowding, if this is likely to be an issue in your pub

• Consider use of plastic glassware such as polycarbonate if necessary, particularly for use in outside areas and to avoid unnecessary waiting for service and/or to lessen the risk of injury

• When serving glass bottles, consider the use of PET bottles or decanting into plastic glassware

• If you do use glass, ensure that empties are collected regularly and any broken glass is quickly cleared away

• Check conditions on the Premises Licence to make sure that you are complying with all requirements, and if a Temporary Event Notice is needed. It would be helpful to the police to submit your TEN as early as possible. If you are running promotions, check they comply with the new Mandatory Conditions recently introduced

• Be aware that under-18s may be attracted to watching the World Cup in your venue, continue to be vigilant about preventing the sale of alcohol to them

• If you have CCTV, ensure that it is fully operational with all cameras recording

• Be sure to monitor and control smoking areas where appropriate, especially at half-time and at the end of the match

• Pass on any concerns or reports of disorder to local police (and other premises if you are in a Pubwatch)

• In the event of trouble outside the premises, keep customers inside

• Make sure that there is no excessive consumption of alcohol - remember it is an offence to continue to serve somebody who has had too much to drink

• Consider food and soft drink offers if you feel it appropriate, and remember that you are now legally obliged to offer free tap water

• If there is trouble at your premises, call the police immediately and close the bar

• Ensure there is sufficient room available for expected level of customers, and that there are contingency plans in place if this exceeded e.g. refusing entry if capacity is reached

• Make sure that the DPS/duty manager holds the keys for the front doors and can secure them at any stage

• Check that all fire exits are completely clear and unobstructed

• Check whether there is a public outdoor large screen event in the immediate area.  Some unfortunate incidents have occurred when people have spilled out of these events and into local pubs. Consider refusing entry if this is likely to happen

• Contact your Licensing Officer for any information on local requirements, and ensure noise is kept to a reasonable level for local residents

The BBPA has also produced a guide, 'Managing Safety in Licensed Premises' which may be of help when developing risk assessments. This is free to download from www.beerandpub.com

Related Articles:

• 23 Jun 2010 - Punch Taverns celebrates The World Cup in style
• 11 Jun 2010 - Footy fans team up with pubs to tackle beer tax plans
• 09 Jun 2010 - World Cup expected to boost catering industry by £50m
• 04 Jun 2010 - Hospitality industry warned not to overlook health and safety during The World Cup
• 02 Jun 2010 - BBPA issues guidance to pubs for World Cup

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