A lesson in due diligence

The news that two barmen were acquitted of the manslaughter of a customer who died from acute alcohol intoxication must have been greeted with a sigh of relief throughout the pub industry.

Aidan Dalton and Gary Wright had both denied the manslaughter of 26-year-old Graham Parish from East Lancashire, who died following a night of heavy drinking at Hayes Hotel in County Tipperary, on June 30th in 2008.

It was alleged that Dalton and Wright were guilty of “gross negligence” in allowing Graham Parish to be served a single drink containing at least eight measures of spirits. The two men, it emerged in the trial last week, were not trained on the potential dangers of fatal doses of alcohol.

The hotel manager, Gerry McGovern also told court that bar staff at the hotel were supposed to follow a number of unwritten rules, including not to serve alcohol to those considered by staff as having had too much to drink. He also admitted that the job descriptions for the two men, which were supposed to have been read and signed by the two accused when they started working at the hotel, could not be located.

Both the hotel management and the two men seem to have had a lucky escape and will perhaps have learned a few lessons in training, due diligence and more accurate record-keeping.

It’s a shame they’re not in the UK and able to take advantage of CPL’s e-learning courses in health & safety and the award in underage sales prevention as well as APLH, which is coming soon, and all of which include training in the care of employees and customers and serving drunks. Prices range from just £25 - £35 and can be completed by anyone with access to the internet.

Let’s hope they’ve also had a salutary lesson in morality too.