The Brewers Association (BA) is opening a limited number of slots for a free online draught line safety training program “Hazard Reduction Practices for Cleaning Draught Beer Lines.” Thanks to funding provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, this training was created to address the lack of industry standards and best practices around beer line cleaning and the hazards that it poses to those performing or adjacent to the task. Training materials and content were informed by surveying over 800 industry members (including the BA Safety and Draught Beer Quality Subcommittees) and vetted by an external advisory committee consisting of a diverse set of industry professionals.

All courses have concluded for 2021. Please check back for more offerings next year.

Course Overview

This short course is intended to enable persons responsible for draught line cleaning operations to implement safer work practices in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. In addition to receiving a certificate of completion, students will learn how to control safety and health risks surrounding draught beer handling, create a safer and healthier workplace, and a workplace culture that accomplishes all the above.

Length: Two weeks (15 hours)
Format: 100% online, including short on-demand videos and self-paced assignments
Model: Instructor-led, with several live virtual classrooms
Class Size: Under 40 students

Who Should Take this Course?

• All staff responsible for cleaning draught beer lines
• Brewery and retail workers, including owners and front-of-house staff
• Wholesalers (where applicable)
• Line cleaning technicians
• Other draught system professionals

Student Takeaways

• Implement safe and effective practices when cleaning draught beer lines.
• Interpret a safety data sheet (SDS) to inform methods and materials.
• Conduct a hazard assessment and develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) specific to a student’s draught beer line cleaning operations.

Course Instructor

Matt Stinchfield, Brewers Association Safety Ambassador, has over thirty years of experience in environmental health and safety programming and training, craft beverage manufacturing and related safety, hazardous substances management, remediation planning and implementation, and regulatory affairs. Matt is an experienced safety trainer having developed numerous courses in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), OSHA, and Department of Transportation (DOT) realms, and holds several Hazardous Materials Management (HazMat) certificates.

Course Dates

Each course will be offered over a two-week period to allow for several interactive opportunities with a live instructor. Student assignments are self-paced and must be completed within the following two-week windows.

• April 7 – 21
• May 5 – 19
• June 2 – 16
• June 30 – July 14
• July 28 – August 11
• August 18 – September 1

This Brewers Association project, at the time of initial publication of this document, is funded by a grant of $79,725 federal funds, which constitutes 100 percent of the program budget. 0 percent, or $0 of the program budget, is financed through non-governmental sources.