Woking Best Bar None assessment criteria and guide for Pubs and Bars

Woking Best Bar None assessment criteria and guide for Pubs and Bars Within this document are all the criteria that you will be assessed upon when taking part in Woking Best Bar None 2013. The assessment criteria are headed up under each of the four licensing objectives and all have essential, desirable and bonus elements. Section A Prevention of Crime and Disorder.... 2 Capacity... 2 Helpful document: Capacity log book... 2 Security... 2 Drinks/Drunkenness... 3 Drugs... 3 Thefts/Burglary... 3 Disorder... 4 Section B Public Safety... 5 First Aid... 5 Public Security... 5 Event Control... 5 Glass... 6 Fire Safety... 6 Building Safety... 6 Transport... 7 Section C Prevention of Public Nuisance... 8 Noise... 8 Community Engagement... 8 Litter/Waste... 8 Section D Protection of Children from Harm... 9 Children... 9 Section E - Other... 10 Staff Training... 10 Alongside the criteria are helpful links to template documents, websites with further information and points of contact to help you achieve the standard you would like. Each document is meant as a helpful guide, rather than a replacement for any policies you may already have in place. They have been provided to show examples of what the assessors will be looking for. It is essential that whether using these documents or your own/companies, you and your staff are familiar with the content, whether they are applicable to your business or not, and that you understand the process behind them. Remember; verbal policies are fine but your staff will be asked questions during the assessment! In order win the award within your chosen category you will be required to reach the gold level standard prior to competing against other premises in front of our panel of judges. To achieve one of the standards you must achieve the following level of compliance within the criteria; Bronze Level all 27 items of the essential criteria must be met. Silver Level 41 of the 44 desirable criteria must be met (including bronze). Gold Level 30 of the 32 bonus criteria must be met (including bronze and silver). Premises will also be asked for details of their own areas of good practice such as charity work, anti drink driving initiatives etc. to help the judging panel make their decisions alongside the assessment scores. All assessment criteria evidence is judged proportionality to the size of your venue. If you require any help at all in achieving the standard you want, please contact Sam Marshall

Section A Prevention of Crime and Disorder. Capacity Essential - Must manage capacity effectively. Desirable - Uses comfort factor to manage capacity. Bonus - Has documented policy with regard to capacity and overcrowding and enforces this. Premises should consider a safe level of capacity. Consideration should be given to deliberately running below capacity to afford a comfort factor to your patrons. Evidence suggests that when disorder occurs within premises, it is often due to overcrowding with factors being drink spillages, frustration caused by patrons being unable to obtain bar service and lack of personal space among others. Assessors will look for evidence of how you manage this; examples considered to have an effective method of calculating the capacity include using mechanical clickers, electronic counters or numbered tickets, till sales, a capacity log book or similar. Helpful document: Capacity log book Security Essential - Must hold regular security reviews. Essential - Must have written accident recording system. Essential - If door staff employed, must be registered by SIA. Desirable - Has written incident recording system. Desirable - Has lost and found property system. Desirable - Records details of persons barred/ejected. Desirable - Staff are easily identified. Desirable - Has hard drive CCTV system (30 day record) and can operate and download images. Desirable - Can demonstrate staff and door staff check for any updates to Pubwatch ban list before starting work. Bonus - Has policy on searching patrons. Bonus - Has policy on searching premises. Bonus - Records each incident and sends copies to head office or area manager, etc. Consideration should be given to daily briefing and de-briefing of all staff. This may be informal but any problems identified should be recorded and action taken. This enables managers to improve working practice in a variety of areas. A more formal regular security review should be considered and recorded should any actions/areas of concern be identified. All premises should have a cohesive door policy with all staff aware of the type of clientele the venue wishes to attract. This is particularly important in premises that operate without the use of Door Supervisors. Premises should be able to demonstrate how to manage Door Supervisors even if not used. There should be a written policy on how to deal with and record all types of incidents. There should also be a separate recording system for lost and found property which allows managers to cross reference. All ejections should be recorded and where the intervention of Door Supervisors to remove a customer is required this should be recorded in some detail. Door staff should wear easily identifiable uniforms with name badges. There should be a trained member of staff able to operate the CCTV system on duty at all times that the venue is open. Premises should ensure that CCTV systems are fully operational at all times. A log should be kept showing that both staff and door staff have checked the Pubwatch ban list before starting work. Door staff should check before each shift, other staff weekly as a minimum. Premises should give consideration to adopting a search policy as a condition of entry to premises if appropriate and a copy of each incident log should be forwarded to head office where applicable. Helpful documents: Security Review Records, Accident log book, Door Staff SIA Badge Number Log, Incident log book, Lost-Found Property log book, Pubwatch check log, Searching Patrons Policy.

Drinks/Drunkenness Essential - Has clear and effective policies to prevent and deal with drunkenness. Desirable - Follows documented code of practice in respect of the sale and promotion of alcoholic products. Desirable - Has clear duty of care policy regarding persons suffering adversely from the effects of alcohol. Desirable - Has clear policy regarding preventing incidents of disorder by persons under the influence of drink. Desirable - Has policy to discourage drink driving. Desirable - Actively promotes non-alcoholic drinks. Desirable - Supportive of the BBPA Customer Unit Awareness Campaign for the on-trade. Bonus - Conducts risk assessments of any drinks promotions (documented). Premises have a duty of care to drunken customers. Premises should have a written, policy detailing their duty of care and how to deal with drunken customers and ensure that all staff are aware of it. Drunken customers should not be left on their, own or placed into a taxi without being in the care of a suitable person and consideration should be given to calling an ambulance or the police if the situation warrants. All venues must follow industry guidelines in respect of any drinks promotions and it is considered good practice not to run drinks promotions that encourage customers to drink faster i.e. time limited offers. There should be positive marketing of soft drinks and hot drinks for designated drivers. As part of the Association s contribution to the Government s Alcohol Responsibility Deal the BBPA has developed a Customer Unit Awareness Campaign for the on-trade. Support for this scheme can be shown via the displaying of posters or other materials. Helpful documents: Disorder and Drunkenness Policy. Helpful websites: http://www.portmangroup.org.uk/assets/documents/code%20of%20practice%204th%20edition.pdf http://www.beerandpub.com/shop/customer-unit-awareness-posters http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf Helpful contact: For anti drink driving posters, please contact Sam Marshall Drugs Essential - Has zero tolerance to the use of drugs. Desirable - Follows documented duty of care/harm minimisation policy regarding the use of drugs. Desirable - Has clear policy regarding the disposal of drugs. Desirable - Any drugs are documented, bagged and are placed in a lockable cabinet or safe and Police are called. Premises should have a written drugs policy emphasising a zero tolerance, anti drug posters should also be displayed at the premises. The drugs policy should give strict, appropriate guidelines for staff to follow when drugs are either found or seized from customers. There should be an audit trail, which protects the integrity of both the individuals concerned and the licensee, which should be available for inspection by police. Helpful documents: Drugs Poster, Drugs and other Controlled Substances Policy Thefts/Burglary Essential - Must have a clear anti-theft strategy in place. Essential - Has alarm or other security measures to protect the premises when empty. Desirable - Has toilet attendant or documented toilet checks. Premises should give consideration on how to prevent disorder, thefts and drug misuse within the venue. Walking the floor, trained glass collectors, toilet checks and toilet attendant are examples of good practice in this area. Consideration should also be given to the prevention of crime; this may include the use of crime prevention literature and other initiatives. A clearly worded policy, stating when to call Door Supervisors, the management or the police is considered best practice. Helpful documents: Your Business Keep Crime out Advice Leaflet, Toilet Check Record

Disorder Essential - Must have a strategy for dealing with incidents of disorder. Desirable - Has a clear duty of care strategy for dealing with victims of disorder. Desirable - Has a clear policy re: disposal of weapons. Bonus - Any weapons are documented, securely bagged and placed in a safe until Police can remove. Bonus - A policy is in place for the preservation of crime scene until Police arrive. Premises should have a written disorder policy. The policy should give strict, appropriate guidelines for staff to follow when weapons are either found or seized from customers. There should be an audit trail, which protects the integrity of both the individuals concerned and the licensee, which should be available for inspection by police. Staff should have an awareness of the early signs of aggression and there should be clearly defined procedures in place for early intervention. All management and staff should possess a good knowledge of what is required by the emergency services when attending their premises and basic training should be given to management with regard to crime scene management and the role of the police. Helpful documents: Incident log book, Disorder and Drunkenness Policy, Weapons Log, Crime Scene Preservation Policy

Section B Public Safety First Aid Essential - Must have first aid facilities within the venue. Desirable - Has at least one first aider on duty at all times. Bonus - Has a first aid room/quiet area to treat injured persons or has designated first aid room. First aid boxes should be available and maintained with sufficient stock. It s good practice to have a qualified first aider on site at all times and consideration should be given to a dedicated first aid room or quiet area. Public Security Desirable - Has a strategy for addressing issues of public security. Desirable - Has Domestic Abuse Helpline stickers affixed to each toilet cubicle door. Desirable - Has a plan for a building evacuation in the event of emergency. Bonus - Conducts mock evacuation training exercises. Bonus - Undertakes full building check for security threats prior to opening to the public. It is considered best practice to have Domestic Abuse Helpline stickers affixed to each toilet cubicle door. There are many circumstances as to why you may need to evacuate your premises. An important consideration when planning evacuation routes in response to near simultaneous terrorist attacks is to ensure that people are moved away from other potential areas of vulnerability or areas where a larger secondary device could be detonated. A general rule is to find out if the device is internal or external to your premises. If it is within the building you may consider evacuation. If it is external, it may be safer to stay inside. Assembly areas should be at least 50m away from the incident. For example, in the case of most vehicle bombs this distance would put them beyond police cordons although it is advisable to have an alternative assembly area 1km away. You must ensure that your staff know what they should do if they come across a suspect package or person. This helps to ensure the safety of them, you, your customers and your premises. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 you have a duty to ensure that the core standards and statutory duties have been met in terms of safety at work and that safety includes safety from terrorism. Helpful document: Evacuation Guidelines Helpful contact: For Domestic Abuse Helpline stickers, please contact Sam Marshall Event Control Desirable - Notified Police/other agencies of any events. Bonus - Consults with neighbourhood businesses/residents prior to event taking place. Bonus - Keeps records of notification/consultation re: any special events. Bonus - Undertakes formal risk assessment prior to an event. Any extra pressure during special events or demand on busy nights could result in crime, disorder or anti-social behaviour. Best practice is to notify the police or relevant authority if you are planning to hold an event which has the potential to impact on your neighbourhood to a greater extent than normal trading operations Assess the potential impact that the event may have on the community and assess internal operating procedures to ensure that they have systems in place that can cope with any extra demand and stresses. Any event which is out of the ordinary may have unintended consequences. That does not mean that the event shouldn t occur as long as you have assessed what those consequences may be and put in appropriate steps to ensure that risks are minimised. Helpful website: Guidance on risk assessments; http://www.hse.gov.uk/indg163.pdf

Glass Essential - Must have effective glass collection policy. Desirable - No open bottle skips or bins in public areas. Desirable - Uses some PET or plastic containers. Desirable - Perimeter checks made outside for any glasses or bottles. Bonus - Any waste glass is left secure in outside areas. Bonus - Engages in responsible glass disposal (e.g. recycling). The minimum standard is some form of glass collection policy with staff given responsibility for this task, however, dedicated glass collectors should be considered. Multi tasking by glass collectors has advantages. They can use this to interact with customers and will be able to make an assessment of the levels of drunkenness and other possible areas of concern. There should be no open bottle bins in or near public areas and to help the environment all glass from licensed premises should be recycled. A lot of licensed premises have smoking areas or beer gardens. It is very important to ensure that glass safety is maintained in these areas. Glass can more easily break and shatter in these areas than on indoor carpeted floor and cause injuries. Helpful document: Glass Collection Policy Fire Safety Essential - Must have a fire detection/warning system in place. Essential - Fire exits must be free from obstruction and well lit at all times. Essential - Fire safety risk assessment has been completed. Essential - All fire safety checks are documented. Desirable - Any equipment must be inspected/serviced regularly. Bonus - Has practical training with fire extinguishers and other emergency equipment. Any alarm system should be in good working order and be tested regularly with up to date records kept. All venues must have a fire risk assessment carried out by a responsible person and reviewed within the last 12 months. Fire extinguishers should be of the appropriate type and be correctly maintained and staff should be aware of the different types of extinguisher in use on the premises. Fire and evacuation drills should be carried out with records kept. Helpful websites: http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/extinguishers http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw (further details on fire risk assessments) Building Safety Essential - Must ensure that building and contents are in good order at all times. Essential - There is a policy on manual handling specifically assessing the risk of kegs and gas cylinders. Essential - Can demonstrate a safe system of work regarding the cellar. Desirable - Has effective spillage policy. The building should be in good condition and a policy should be in place to deal with drink and other liquid spillages. A policy should be in place to effectively manage Smokefree legislation or customers using any other external facility. The applicant should be able to demonstrate that a manual handling risk assessment specific to the handling of gas cylinders and kegs and management of the cellar has been carried out. Helpful document: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg196.htm

Transport Desirable - Provides/displays information to customers with regard to accessing taxis and public transport Bonus - Provides active assistance to customers by providing a free taxi phone service. Bonus - Provides a safe waiting area for customers to wait for taxis or other transportation. Good dispersal of customers is vital because large gatherings of intoxicated people can become a flashpoint for antisocial behaviour or violence. A safe and effective system should be in place to ensure patrons depart premises in a safe and orderly manner and consideration should be given to ensure the safe transport home of patrons and staff. Helpful website: http://www.woking.gov.uk/planning/licensing/taxi/operator/operators

Section C Prevention of Public Nuisance Noise Essential - Must have a noise policy during open hours. Desirable - Deliveries, servicing, etc are done with thought to neighbours. Desirable - Has a clear dispersal policy relating to customers leaving the venue, with regard to noise prevention. The use of dimmed or bright lighting should be considered to affect the mood of customers at the conclusion of permitted hours and music volume should be reduced to an appropriate level along with music of a relaxed nature. Signage asking patrons to leave the premises quietly are best practice and deliveries should be arranged with thought to neighbours. Helpful document: Noise Risk Assessment Community Engagement Desirable - Is a member of Woking Pubwatch. Bonus - Actively taking part in the Prisoner Rehabilitation Program organised by Woking Best Bar None. Bonus - Is involved in a suitable community imitative. Bonus - Is a member of a trade representative organisation (BEDA, BBPA etc). Bonus - Supportive of Community Safety initiatives (e.g. alcohol awareness week, domestic abuse leaflets etc). Bonus - Displaying previous years Woking Best Bar None award sticker. Bonus - Actively taking part in the Youth Apprenticeship Program organised by Woking Borough Council Membership of a Pubwatch should be a priority and any intelligence received should be shared with all staff. Licensed premises can demonstrate their commitment to being responsible businesses by being active members of local groups such as Neighbourhood forums. Trade representative organisations will help keep you up to date with legislation changes and can offer trade help and advice. Consideration should be given to the support of Community Safety initiatives (e.g. alcohol awareness week, domestic abuse information handouts etc). Businesses looking to help young people from Woking Borough to improve their employment and career prospects could benefit from a financial boost, as Woking Borough Council and Surrey County Council are offering financial support. Premises that took part in Woking Best Bar None in previous years should have on display their window sticker identifying their participation. Helpful websites: http://www.pubwatchsurrey.com/about_us/about_us.asp http://www.wokingworks.com/profile/investinyoursuccess Helpful Contact: Applicants that are interested in receiving more information on taking part in the prisoner rehabilitation scheme or the young person employment scheme should contact Sam Marshall for further information. Litter/Waste Desirable - Clears surrounding area of litter from premises (flyers, plastics, cigarette butts etc). Litter can reduce the public perception of an area and can mean that customers may prefer not to visit an area if it is not clean and well lit.

Section D Protection of Children from Harm Children Essential - Must have strict control over U18 s buying, consuming or being supplied with intoxicants. Essential - Uses only passport, photo driving license or accredited pass card as proof of age. Desirable - Displays appropriate posters of other materials warning against under age drinking or stating that proof of age may be required, challenge 21, etc. Desirable - Formal risk assessment specific to protection of children has been completed. Bonus - Actively monitors family areas to prevent age/alcohol related offences. Consideration should be given to accepting only photographic driving licenses or passports and other recognized approved schemes as prove of age. Many premises use a Challenge 21 policy as standard. This entails staff requiring proof of age from every customer apparently under the age of 21; clear signage should be in use at the entrance. All staff should be made aware of their responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003 and also other health and safety issues. Helpful websites: For further guidance on risk assessments see http://www.hse.gov.uk/indg163.pdf http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/kent/documents/ae%20factsheets/challenge%2021.pdf http://www.pass-scheme.org.uk/

Section E - Other Staff Training Essential - Staff must be trained regarding drunkenness. Essential - Must provide staff training documentation with regard to drugs. Essential - Must provide staff training with regard to crime prevention. Essential - Staff must be trained in relation to preventing disorder/conflict management. Essential - Staff must be trained in fire safety procedures. Essential - Staff must be trained regarding age/alcohol related offences. Desirable - Provides staff training in relation to unattended/suspect packages AND/OR emergency evacuation. Desirable - Has documented staff training package with regard to thefts. Desirable - Has documented staff training re: unattended / suspect packages and evacuation. Desirable - Has documented staff training regarding fire safety. Desirable - Has documented staff training package with regard to age/alcohol related offences. Desirable - Had documented staff training package with regard to drunkenness. Desirable - Has documented staff training package with regard to controlled drugs. Desirable - Has documented staff training re: disorder strategy. written exams with regards to drunkenness. written exams with regard to drugs. written exams with regard to crime prevention. written exams with regard to disorder strategy. written exams with regard to disorder strategy. Bonus - Records when staff have undertaken training or sets written exams with regard to fire safety. exams with regard to age/alcohol related matters. As part of any staff training, each premises should provide their staff with full staff training that is continued through their employment with updates as and when required and evidence this. Helpful document: Staff Training Record, Ongoing Staff Training Record