Responsible Beverage Sales and Service Certification Now Available in Spanish

The training and certification to learn how to responsibly sell and serve alcohol, required by some cities in San Diego County, is now being offered in Spanish. The ordinance known as Responsible Beverage Sales and Service (RBSS) requires workers to complete a four-hour training course every two years for businesses to maintain their alcohol business licenses.
The RBSS ordinance was approved last year in Vista and most business owners and employees have taken the training.  However, some employees faced language barriers as the previous training was almost exclusively available in English, especially due to a written test required at the end of the course.  Due to the high demand for this course in Spanish, Occupational Health Services (OHS) in San Marcos took the lead to become a certified trainer by the State of California to offer the course in Spanish.
Other cities in San Diego County that have a similar RBSS ordinance in place include San Marcos, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Poway, Imperial Beach and National City.
Although most Hispanic business owners and employees in Vista speak English, some prefer to communicate and are able to understand their native language better. The course covers how to identify fake ID cards, recognize customers who have had too much to drink and spot underage drinkers. 
Typically, there is a cost associated with the RBSS training that varies depending on the entity offering it. However, the City of Vista and the North Coastal Prevention Coalition, leaders in preventing underage drinking in the Tri-City area, will offer two free trainings in Spanish on Monday, February 28, 2011 from 11 am to 3 pm and Thursday, March 3, 2011 from 5 pm to 8 pm. The training sessions will be provided by OHS and will take place in the Community Room at the Vista Civic Center. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 760-631-5000, ext. 7153.
Occupational Health Services will also offer the training at their facility in San Marcos for a $20 fee. For more information, call 760-752-5300 or email [email protected].