Workplace Safety & Emergency
Workplace safety is essential for protecting both staff and patrons in licensed establishments. This topic covers bouncer and security protocols, emergency exit procedures, overdose response (including naloxone), fire safety, de-escalation techniques, incident reporting, and how to handle violent situations, medical emergencies, and crowd management.
Study Guide: Workplace Safety & Emergency
Review these sample questions before starting the practice test.
Q1: What is the first thing a server should do if a fight breaks out in the establishment?
- A. Alert security or management immediately and call 911 if needed ✓
- B. Jump in to break it up physically
- C. Ignore it and continue serving
- D. Start recording on their phone
Staff should never physically intervene in a fight. The priority is to alert security or management and call 911 if the situation is dangerous.
Q2: Where should emergency exit locations be posted in a licensed establishment?
- A. Only in the kitchen
- B. In clearly visible locations throughout the premises, including near entrances ✓
- C. Only in the manager's office
- D. They do not need to be posted
Emergency exit maps and signs must be clearly visible throughout the establishment so that both staff and patrons can evacuate quickly in an emergency.
Q3: A patron collapses and is unresponsive. What should you do first?
- A. Offer them water
- B. Shake them vigorously
- C. Call 911 immediately and check for breathing ✓
- D. Move them outside for fresh air
An unresponsive person requires immediate emergency medical attention. Call 911, check for breathing, and be prepared to administer CPR if trained.
Q4: What is the role of a bouncer or door staff at a licensed venue?
- A. To intimidate patrons
- B. To serve drinks at the door
- C. Only to collect cover charges
- D. To manage entry, check IDs, monitor patron behavior, and maintain a safe environment ✓
Door staff are responsible for controlling entry, verifying IDs, monitoring capacity, observing patron behavior, and helping maintain a safe environment for everyone.
Q5: Under Ontario fire code, what must a licensed establishment maintain regarding occupancy?
- A. The posted maximum occupancy must never be exceeded ✓
- B. No limits apply to bars
- C. Occupancy limits only apply on weekends
- D. Only restaurants have occupancy limits
All licensed establishments must comply with fire code occupancy limits. Exceeding capacity creates serious safety risks and can result in fines and licence issues.
Q6: What should staff do if they smell gas or suspect a gas leak?
- A. Light a match to check
- B. Evacuate the premises immediately and call 911 from outside ✓
- C. Open windows and continue operating
- D. Ignore it unless they see flames
A suspected gas leak requires immediate evacuation. Do not use electrical switches, open flames, or phones inside. Call 911 from a safe distance outside.
Q7: A patron shows signs of a possible opioid overdose (slow breathing, blue lips, unresponsive). What should you do?
- A. Give them coffee
- B. Put them in a cold shower
- C. Call 911 immediately and administer naloxone (Narcan) if available and trained ✓
- D. Wait to see if they recover on their own
Opioid overdose is life-threatening. Call 911 immediately. If naloxone is available and you are trained to use it, administer it. Place the person in the recovery position.
Q8: What is the "recovery position" used for in emergencies?
- A. A yoga pose for relaxation
- B. Laying the person flat on their back
- C. Sitting the person upright
- D. Placing an unconscious breathing person on their side to prevent choking on vomit ✓
The recovery position places an unconscious but breathing person on their side, which prevents them from choking if they vomit. This is critical for intoxicated or overdosing individuals.
Ready to practice all 85 questions? Start the interactive quiz below.
What is the first thing a server should do if a fight breaks out in the establishment?
More Workplace Safety & Emergency Questions
Ten more worked examples with answers and explanations.
Q9: Who is responsible for ensuring fire extinguishers are accessible and up to date in a licensed establishment?
- A. The licence holder and management ✓
- B. The fire department only
- C. Individual servers
- D. No one — fire extinguishers are optional
The licence holder and management are responsible for maintaining fire safety equipment, including ensuring extinguishers are accessible, inspected, and not expired.
Q10: A patron slams their fist on the bar after you refuse service. What should you do?
- A. Slam your fist back to show authority
- B. Remain calm, maintain a safe distance, and alert security or management ✓
- C. Immediately call the police
- D. Apologize and resume serving them
Stay calm and do not escalate. Maintain a safe distance, use a calm tone, and involve security or management. If the patron becomes threatening, call police.
Q11: What training should bar staff have regarding emergency procedures?
- A. No training is required
- B. Only the manager needs training
- C. Training on evacuation routes, first aid basics, fire extinguisher use, and when to call 911 ✓
- D. Training is optional
All staff should be trained on emergency procedures including evacuation routes, basic first aid, fire extinguisher use, and protocols for calling emergency services.
Q12: A patron threatens another patron with a weapon. What is the immediate priority?
- A. Ensure staff and patron safety, evacuate if possible, and call 911 immediately ✓
- B. Confront the armed patron
- C. Try to take the weapon away
- D. Ask the patron to put it down politely
A weapon situation is extremely dangerous. The immediate priority is safety: do not confront the person, evacuate patrons away from danger, and call 911 immediately.
Q13: What should an establishment do to prepare for power outages?
- A. Nothing — just wait for power to return
- B. Have emergency lighting, flashlights, and a plan for safe evacuation if needed ✓
- C. Only large venues need to plan
- D. Close immediately at the first flicker
Establishments should have emergency lighting (battery-backed), flashlights, and a plan for safely managing patrons and evacuation during power outages.
Q14: What is "duty of care" in the context of workplace safety at a licensed establishment?
- A. A legal insurance requirement only
- B. A suggestion, not a requirement
- C. The legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of patrons and staff ✓
- D. Only applies to hospitals
Duty of care is the legal obligation of the establishment and its staff to take reasonable steps to protect the safety and well-being of everyone on the premises.
Q15: A patron is being verbally harassed by another patron. What should staff do?
- A. Ignore it unless it becomes physical
- B. Let patrons handle their own disputes
- C. Tell the victim to move seats
- D. Intervene calmly, separate the parties if possible, and ask the harasser to stop or leave ✓
Staff have a duty to maintain a safe environment. Intervene calmly, address the harasser, offer to move the victim if they prefer, and escalate to management or police if needed.
Q16: What type of fire extinguisher should be available in a kitchen area of a licensed establishment?
- A. A Class K (kitchen) extinguisher rated for grease and cooking oil fires ✓
- B. Water extinguisher only
- C. Any type will work
- D. No extinguisher is needed if there is a sprinkler system
Kitchen areas require Class K fire extinguishers specifically designed for grease, cooking oil, and fat fires. Water extinguishers can spread grease fires and make them worse.
Q17: Under Ontario law, can a bouncer use physical force to remove a patron?
- A. Yes, any amount of force is permitted
- B. Only reasonable and minimal force necessary, and only as a last resort ✓
- C. No, physical contact is never allowed
- D. Yes, but only with the patron's consent
Ontario law permits only reasonable and minimal force as a last resort to remove a trespasser. Excessive force can result in assault charges against the bouncer and establishment.
Q18: What information should be recorded in an incident report after a safety event?
- A. Only the patron's name
- B. Nothing — verbal reports are sufficient
- C. Date, time, location, description of the incident, names of witnesses, actions taken, and outcome ✓
- D. Only if police were involved
A thorough incident report includes the date, time, location, detailed description, names and contact info of witnesses, actions taken by staff, and the outcome. This documentation is crucial for legal protection.
Key facts for this topic
- The federal Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act (2017) can protect people who call 911 during an overdose, including the person overdosing, from charges for simple drug possession. Source
- In Ontario it is illegal to smoke or vape cannabis in enclosed workplaces and public places, in restaurants, on bar patios, and in public areas within 9 metres of a patio. Source
- Licensees must ensure evidence of liquor is cleared within 45 minutes after service ends, which is part of closing the premises safely. Source
Common mistakes
The wrong answers here usually involve staff acting alone or physically. Do not step into a fight or confront someone with a weapon: alert security or management and call 911. For an unresponsive guest, call 911 first, check breathing and use the recovery position; if you suspect an opioid overdose and naloxone is available and you are trained, give it. Bouncers may use only reasonable, minimal force as a last resort. And document every incident, with date, time, people involved, witnesses and actions taken, while it is fresh.
Keep studying
Sources
Regulatory facts on this page are based on the official sources below. If anything here disagrees with them, the official source wins.
- Health Canada: About the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act
- Government of Ontario: Cannabis laws
- AGCO: Hours for liquor sale, service and delivery
By SmartServe Prep Team Last reviewed: October 2026
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