Employees drinking beer during the day?

[plh]

Its all fine and dandy until someone gets hurt or hurts someone. Then OSHA + Insurance gets involved and you could certainly loose your business. No drinking during the shift and staff must be off the clock if having a beer after the shift.

[Cmully]

Hey all,

Our Great American Brewers Dialogue went very well and I have completed a summary of our notes. It's available to anyone who wants it.
To be sure, it's a summary of notes and not a set of guidelines or academic term paper. But it does contain some good information and tips.

Please let me know if you would like a free copy.

Cheers and Beers!

Jason

Hi Jason,
Can I get a copy as well? Cindym@mullysbrewery.com

We definitely have a policy for our warehouse staff...didn't think about them drinking at other breweries/retailers. What about sales staff drinking at promotional events like tap takeovers and stuff?

[DClayton]

Hey all,

Our Great American Brewers Dialogue went very well and I have completed a summary of our notes. It's available to anyone who wants it.
To be sure, it's a summary of notes and not a set of guidelines or academic term paper. But it does contain some good information and tips.

Please let me know if you would like a free copy.

Cheers and Beers!

Jason

I would appreciate a copy as well. Dillon.Clayton@Upslopebrewing.com

[3trailsbrewing]

Hey all,

Our Great American Brewers Dialogue went very well and I have completed a summary of our notes. It's available to anyone who wants it.
To be sure, it's a summary of notes and not a set of guidelines or academic term paper. But it does contain some good information and tips.

Please let me know if you would like a free copy.

Cheers and Beers!

Jason

Jason,

I would love a copy if you still have this close at hand.

bclark@3trailsbrewing.com

Thank you!

[Patrickbhavana]

Hey all,

Our Great American Brewers Dialogue went very well and I have completed a summary of our notes. It's available to anyone who wants it.
To be sure, it's a summary of notes and not a set of guidelines or academic term paper. But it does contain some good information and tips.

Please let me know if you would like a free copy.

Cheers and Beers!

Jason

I'd love the notes as well!

patrick@brewerybhavana.com

[Todd Hicks]

Add Todd@serdabrewing.com to the request list.

Maybe just post an attachment or link.

[STBC!]

Hey all,

Our Great American Brewers Dialogue went very well and I have completed a summary of our notes. It's available to anyone who wants it.
To be sure, it's a summary of notes and not a set of guidelines or academic term paper. But it does contain some good information and tips.

Please let me know if you would like a free copy.

Cheers and Beers!

Jason

I would like one! dcallender89@gmail.com Thanks!

[Todd Hicks]

Brew Crew Etiquette

Here is my recent revision of "Rules".

+++

Brew Crew Guidelines and Etiquette

The privilege of being a brewer comes with the obligation to behave in a professional manner at all times that you are on site at the brewery, or are serving in any field representation for the brewery. Brewers work in a highly visible position since our customers can watch us many of the times we are working. For this reason, whether on or off the clock, you will still be recognized as a brewer, and therefore, a representative of the Company. That being said, the benefits are also numerous and require a strong level of personal restraint, and adhesion to a few very simple and reasonable guidelines. The foundation of these rules is to remain innocuous, clean, safe, and a true model of efficiency and professional work habits. In other words, the brewery must look perfect in every respect and not cause problems for anyone. This means, to a certain extent, taking care of yourself; eat healthy, get adequate sleep, and try not to drink too much beer or partake excessively in other vices as to routinely affect your work and safety. When this is understood and you have accomplished this basic tenant of responsibility, the rest is easy. The guidelines of etiquette and benefits of working in the brewery are detailed together and listed below because the rules and benefits are basically two sides of the same coin when it comes to the honorable tradition of Sternewirth Privilege.

I. THE BREW CREW MUST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS AND OPERATIONS OF THE PUB. The fact rests that the brewery operations function separately from the hospitality venue of the pub and grounds. Every once in a while, operations and schedules will clash and a mild conflict of interest will develop. Be courteous to pub employees, management, customers, and official regulators so that a friendly and proper solution will resolve any operational issue.

II. ONLY BARTENDERS AND MANAGERS MAY DRAW BEER FOR YOUR CONSUMPTION FROM THE PUB TAPS. This is self-explanatory, but is important for the following reasons:

The Bartenders or Managers are ultimately responsible for beer served in the Pub.
All beer dispensed from the Pub must be accounted for.
Bartenders have the sole Right to Refuse Service To Anyone, including Customers, Employees, Brewers, Managers, and Partners.
Enjoying beer that you made is a Privilege, NOT a Right.

Brewers may draw beer from the following sources during the course of normal work duties for Tasting, Quality Evaluation, Measurements, Volume Readings, and Analytical Sampling:

From a Fermenter, Bright Beer, or Serving Tank using proper sanitary procedures.
From a Filter in the course of filtration.
During the course of kegging, racking, or transferring beer.
In the processes of packaging beer into bottles and cans.
While cleaning draft beer lines in the pub.
While setting up a remote draft beer system or jockey box for events.
When putting a new keg of beer of draft or while troubleshooting draft beer issues.
Or, as approved by a manager to accommodate the needs and operations of the Pub.

III. BREWERS ARE ENTITLED TO SHIFT BEERS AT THE END OF THEIR SHIFT AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF MANAGEMENT. These must be poured by a Bartender or by Management and properly accounted for. Brewers must know their limitations and self-regulate their consumption. Excessive intoxication or unruliness will not be tolerated and may result in restriction of Sternewirth Privilege, Punitive Action, or Termination.


IV. POLICY FOR BREWERS WHEN OFF SHIFT.
Brewers that are off shift must stay out of and away from production areas when not working unless authorized by a Head Brewer or Management.
Brewers must NEVER remain on the premises when excessively intoxicated. Excessive intoxication or unruliness will not be tolerated and may result in restriction of Sternewirth Privilege, Punitive Action, or Termination.
Brewers may enjoy their shift beer at the bar or in the Pub provided they wear clean, dry clothing. A change of clothing is always recommended.
Brewers that wish to patronize the Pub as a customer must act appropriately as a customer and as a representative of the Company following good etiquette and self-moderation. Brewers are entitled to any employee discounts as appropriate. Bartenders have the sole Right to Refuse Service To Anyone, including Customers, Employees, Brewers, Managers, and Partners.
At all costs, avoid getting excessively intoxicated or unruly in any off shift function where you may be perceived as a representative of the Company.
Avoid visiting the Pub or interfere with brewery operations if you are intoxicated.
It is expected that brewers are happy to make room for customers when the Pub is busy in order to accommodate the needs and operations of the Pub.

V. BREWERS ARE ENTITLED TO EMPLOYEE BREAKS AS REQUIRED BY LAW. BREWERS ARE ENTITLED TO A MEAL BREAK DURING EVERY SHIFT. Taking a meal break off premises must be approved by a Head Brewer or Manager and you must clock out. If a brewer is closely monitoring a process, clocking out for a quick meal break is not necessary at the Head Brewer’s discretion, otherwise you must clock out for your meal break and resume work afterwords. Eating is not allowed in production areas. Smoking is not allowed in any production areas, in the Pub, or anywhere indoors.

VI. IF YOU WANT TO DRINK EXCESSIVELY, THE BEST POLICY IS TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! BEHAVE, DO NOT DRIVE WHILE INTOXICATED, AND DO NOT INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY MAKE THE BREWERY LOOK BAD BY NOT FOLLOWING THE PROPER ETIQUETTE AND DECORUM THAT IS EXPECTED OF A PROFESSIONAL BREWER. BE SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

[beerlawcenter]

One little thing...

Jason -

Sorry I'm gonna miss this, sounds like a great topic. One little thing that i hope someone mentions or talks about... at least while on shift, many state's ABCs specifically define who can have what and how much during their work shift.

For example, NC limits the amount that a person can "taste" on shift to no more than 2oz samples totally only 8oz in any one shift AND that's only if your job includes quality control or the purchasing of beer for the business. AND (this is where NC gets weird too), if you want to drink *after* your shift, you have to "de-brand" (i.e. remove your work uniform or t-shirt advertising the brewery/business you work at). So, "shift beers" are a bit more of a regulatory "gotcha" if you're not careful.

Anyway, just wanted to bring up that you may have state laws that specifically define the limits or ability of employee drinking.

Cheers!
John

[Hoodbridge Brew]

Same for Off Site for Our Folks

We've experienced a few incidents of folks from other breweries making asses out of themselves after hours. In the first incident, since we're still in the build out phase and were working some potential accounts, we were asking about the things that the restaurant liked and disliked about dealing with the local breweries, trying to improve our customer service. The manager told us he wouldn't be carrying beer from one local brewery because one of the guys from the brewery had come in after work, got shit faced, started spouting all sorts of nonsense, and generally making an ass out of himself, while still in his work clothes and representing himself as an employee. Second incident, this young guy who is an assistant brewer at a different local place shows up to the anniversary party for another brewery, and does essentially the same thing, only this time at me. I wasn't sober, but I wasn't being a dick. Not that I ratted the kid out, but he's definitely not super welcome at my place. The head brewer we have hired and the other owner and I have agreed that drinking at another brewery or at a customer's place is just like drinking at our brewery. We're not anti-fun by any stretch, but one incident like the above, and you're done.

As for working hours, no drinking except for required QA/QC until everything scheduled that day is done. If I came to the brewery and found staff having beers while there was still work in the brewery not done, I would likely loose my cool. It's a brewery, but it's still a job, with lots of hazards and all it takes is one incident where someone gets hurt, even if the drinking wasn't the cause. It's just not worth it. I have lots of other ways to be a cool boss, like our pimp employee lounge and keezer with R&D batches that they can take all they want of, with the above rules always being in play. Our motto is, "Work Hard. Have fun. Don't be an asshole."

[ChesterBrew]

Zombie Thread!

I'm reviving this thread to chime in on the subject... I recently had an incident where an employee became very intoxicated while filling kegs and then attempted to act as though they were not impaired even though I could tell that they were within 30 seconds of our conversation. We're also still learning our system losses, so we're getting less kegs out of our 3bbl system than it can do, so of course I now have in the back of my mind how much of those losses may be due to imbibing.

I had thought it was clear before, but it's crystal clear for me now: beer consumption is limited to QA work while you're on the clock. Period.

I really hate playing the heavy, but this is too damn dangerous of an industry to let people drink on the job. I need to be able to trust the people I've hired, and do, but incidents like I just encountered really affect that. Just my two cents.

[a10t2]

their keg washer was using air pressures that were fine for steel (engineered to hold 10 times its max working capacity, 60 psi, so about 600psi as I remember)

I think the problem was that they had no pressure regulation on the air compressor, and that the keg's pressure relief also failed. I've had a PKA keg fail at the center seam under normal working pressure (10-12 psi), but my hypothesis is that it had been weakened by multiple freeze-thaw cycles after a bar left it outside.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121021/GJNEWS_01/121029899

http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1266302

[Bainbridge]

That wasn't Harpoon, that was Redhook's Portsmouth plant. And no drinking was involved; their keg washer was using air pressures that were fine for steel (engineered to hold 10 times its max working capacity, 60 psi, so about 600psi as I remember) but not fine for plastic PKA kegs (which are rated for 60 working, but pop at 90, or so I heard).

That said, yep. No drinking while dealing with dangerous anything.

[AnthonyB]

A plastic keg was mixed into their returns and the keg failed when subjected to their cleaning regimen which included a high pressure purge. It killed the cleaning operator in the process. The operator wasn't inebriated but their cleaning program had several missing safe guards and they were fined by OSHA as a result.

[BrewerRev]

What happened at Harpoon?