Nightclub & Bar - September 2009

necessary, addressing incidents. A huge plus of having and actually using this type of manual is that it shows you have standards of operation, should you have to represent a case in a civil lawsuit.

Appropriate Number of Guards.

This is one of the worst-managed areas within the entire hospitality industry. Hotels, nightclubs and bars all look at the position of a security guard as a necessary evil and, as such, the first area to cut during hard or down times. This must change. When thinking of the proper number of guards, operators must take into account capacity, multiple levels, restrooms, entrances and exits, dance or entertainment areas, VIP service areas and more. Having enough security guards is one area that must not be skimped upon and reduced, and simply using the minimum industry standard is just not enough. This cannot be emphasized enough.

Proper Report Writing. Documenting any incident that could lead to litigation is crucial. Most civil lawsuits don’t arise for nearly two years, and by then, employees who were involved may have moved on to other jobs or simply forgotten what they saw or did. Emergency responders only will document what they need for a criminal investigation, if any. Besides, they might not ask the questions that can defend an operator during civil litigation, and frankly, they

don’t care about any later civil investigation. Be sure to have a procedure and the proper tools to properly and immediately document any incidents that occur on your property.

Training, Training and More Training. For every employee on your staff, training must be delivered and documented. In a hotel, the banquet server must know how to handle over-consump-tion of alcohol. In a sports bar, the bartender must know how to defuse conflict. In a nightclub, the security host must know how to safely and legally detain and escort a guest from the venue. Training will provide employees the tools management wants them to use. If you don’t train your staff, you can’t blame them when they make critical mistakes.

This is a great start for any operator or management team looking to be proactive in preventing and limiting liability damage. If you can enact these items, you can confidently say that your operation is indeed, “Above the Industry Standard of Care.” And, if this is true, the money spent on implementing these steps will fall well below the money spent fighting civil liability claims, at-

torney fees, court fees and all associated liability judgments. Good luck. NCB

Robert C. Smith is president and CEO of Nightclub Security Consultants. In his 11 years with the business, he has trained more than 5,000 hospitality industry employees and consulted with more than 1,000 nightclubs, bars and other alcohol sales venues. He can be reached at rsmith@nightclubse-curity.com.