By the end of this training, you should be able to distinguish between legal duties, house duties, and professional duties. You are required by law to follow legal duties and by your management to follow house duties. You decide which professional duties you will follow because you feel something is ethically or socially important.

This training will provide you with the tools needed to help you serve alcohol responsibly. You will learn how to recognize visible signs of alcohol impairment, ways to refuse 

service to a patron and how to spot a fraudulent form of identification (ID). This online server/seller training is one of five components that must be completed in  order for an establishment to become RAMP-certified.

RAMP CERTIFICATION

Benefits of RAMP certification to the licensee include:

• Knowledgeable, well-trained alcohol service staff and management
• Recognition as a responsible licensee in your community
• Less likelihood of dram shop liability
• Possible liquor liability insurance discount
• Possible reduction in fines and penalties issued by an Administrative Law Judge for serving a minor or a visibly intoxicated patron (as long as the licensee was RAMP-certified at the time of the violation and had no citations for either of those two violations in the previous four years).

RAMP certification is granted to the licensed premises upon successful completion of all five required components. Completing either the owner/manager or server/seller training alone does not grant certification to the establishment or the person completing the training.

1. Owner/Manager Training focuses on those most responsible for determining daily operations and policies of the licensed establishment – the owner and manager. Training topics will include creation of house policies and procedures for staff and the public, as well as aspects of the Server/Seller training.

• Newly approved managers of certain license types are required to complete owner/manager training within 180 days of approval by the PLCB, unless training was successfully completed within the previous two years.
• Any person in any management role may complete this training just for knowledge purposes.
• Owner/manager training is available online and in classroom sessions once a participant registers for PLCB+.
• If you are unsure who the current PLCB-approved manager is, contact the Bureau of Licensing.

2. Server/Seller Training benefits anyone who serves or sells alcoholic beverages and/or checks IDs, including owners and managers of licensed establishments. The training covers how to detect fake IDs, identify signs of intoxication and responsibly manage patrons.

• Server/seller training is available online through approved providers, in scheduled classroom sessions once a participant registers for PLCB+, or by scheduling with approved instructors.
• Costs for server/seller training are established by training providers and may vary.

3. New Employee Orientation must be provided to each member of the licensee’s current alcohol service staff and to each new employee within 30 days of hire. Subsequently, a Licensee New Employee Orientation Form (PDF) must be completed and signed by each new employee.

• Owners/managers and security personnel that serve or sell alcohol and/or check IDs must also complete this form.
• It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that either the owner, manager, or a designated instructor conducts the orientation.
• Licensees must maintain a completed and signed Licensee New Employee Orientation Form for each member of the alcohol service staff for the duration of their employment.

4. Signage must be posted at the licensed establishment regarding responsible alcohol service.

• At least two signs must be posted minimally addressing acceptable forms of ID and refusal of alcohol service to minors and visibly intoxicated patrons.
• Appropriate signage may be ordered through PLCB+ once an account is created, or a licensee may use other signage equivalent in size and content to PLCB-provided signs.
• Signage must be prominently displayed so that it can be easily observed by patrons.
• Licensees shall be responsible for posting and maintaining the signage at all times.

5. Affidavit Request for RAMP Certification – After the completion of the previous four requirements, the fifth and final component requires the licensee to apply for the RAMP certification in PLCB+ by following these instructions. A licensed establishment is not RAMP-certified until all requirements are met and certification is granted by the PLCB.​ Licensees may contact their regional office for assistance Central Region, 717.558.2160 Eastern Region, 610.940.1217 Western Region, 412.723.0109Toll-free, 866.275.8237ra-lbramp@pa.gov