The BARS Program Blog

How Long Should You Keep Alcohol and Tobacco Training Records on File?

Keeping Alcohol Server Training Records on File

Many states mandate TIPS alcohol server training (you can check whether your state has this requirement here). Whether or not your state requires it, though, we recommend alcohol server training because it helps to reduce your liability, support your compliance efforts, and avoid tragic accidents resulting from drunkenness or drunk driving.

Once your servers have completed their training, they should give you a record of the certification. Though cities and jurisdictions vary in their recommendations on how long to hold onto the records, The BARS Program recommends keeping records on file for at least four years.

Recommendations for Tobacco Retailer Training Programs

While retailers are not always required to implement employee training programs for the sale of tobacco products, the FDA strongly recommends implementing a training program based on their standards (information on which can be found here. ) In addition to supporting your carding policy, the implementation of tobacco training programs is a wise move for all retailers because The Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act provides for lower civil money penalties for violations of access, sale and distribution, and advertising and promotion restrictions to those who have completed qualifying programs.

The FDA specifically recommends that a record of tobacco retailer training programs be kept on file for four years (the same as our recommendation for alcohol training programs).

Alcohol and tobacco training programs help educate employees on the risks of selling age-sensitive products. To ensure that you reap all of the benefits of these programs, we encourage you to contact us with questions about keeping records on file or any other details. You can reach us at 1-877-540-5500 or www.barsprogram.com/contact.