After more than half a century of research on the health effects of tobacco smoking, we all understand the damage it causes – not only to the smoker, but those around them too.

While employers have been obligated to make workplaces smoke-free for a number of years, the last vestiges of smoking at work still exist in places like designated smoking areas and vehicles. This endorsement of tobacco smoking undermines the health of smokers, non-smokers and clients, and can cost people and business dearly.

Passive smoking – inhalation of ‘second-hand’ smoke – can lead to the same disease, disability and death as caused by active smoking. There is also evidence that exposure to second-hand smoke “greatly magnifies the risk of many occupational carcinogens” (American Cancer Society).

The Cancer Council NSW’s Going smoke-free – Recommendations for the workplace publication, outlines employers’ obligations to protect their employees from tobacco smoke. We will be drawing from this publication in this article. The guide also provides steps to implementing a smoke-free policy at work, which will be covered in the second section of this article.
 

Why make your workplace entirely smoke-free?

Health

The negative health effects of smoking are well documented, and apply to both smokers and people exposed to second-hand smoke. The most common diseases and illnesses associated with tobacco smoke include:

• Cardiovascular disease;
• Cancer; and
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Other conditions caused by smoking:

• Hypertension: elevated blood pressure - a risk factor for heart attack and stroke;
• Asthma;
• Eye problems: smokers are twice as likely to develop macular degeneration, also have a higher risk of cataracts;
• Fertility problems; and
• Impotence.

Half of all long-term smokers will die because of their smoking (Quit Victoria).

Economic

Employers may be aware that an increase in absenteeism can result from conditions such as obesity and mental illness, yet smoking is another cause. Smokers take 25 per cent more sick days per year than non-smokers, which cause significant costs to business.

Other economic costs of smoking include:

• Potential increase in insurance costs such as premiums ;
• Increased risk of litigation by victims of second-hand smoke;
• Increased fire risk; and
• Costs of cleaning and refurbishment of workplace facilities.

Legal

All employers are required to ensure the health and safety of their staff. These responsibilities include minimising exposure to tobacco smoke. Consequently, employers are legally required to protect workers from tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces.

There are legal precedents in which employees suffering from second-hand smoke-related illness have received substantial compensation. Eliminate the risk of this by not endorsing smoking in your workplace.
 

Smoke-free at work: how to do it

To ensure you avoid the potential health, financial and legal repercussions of first and second-hand tobacco smoke exposure, make your workplace totally smoke free.

Cancer Council NSW has several recommendations for implementing a smoke-free policy:


Consult with all staff

Consulting with staff before introducing the policy means it is more likely to be accepted when introduced.

• Involve staff groups in the process of policy development and implementation, and make the most of staff representative groups, meetings, HR, unions and OHS committees for consultation;
   
• Educate and inform staff as to why this policy is important, i.e. their own health and wellbeing;
   
• Brief supervisors and staff about the policy's details before implementing it. Details given should include:
  • When the policy will be introduced;
  • Where both smoking and non-smoking areas will be located;
  • What kind of quit smoking support will be available for staff;
  • What your company's position on smoking breaks will be; and
  • What disciplinary procedures will be in place to deal with breaches of the policy.

Promote awareness of the policy

Cancer Council NSW advises documenting the policy and making it freely available to all staff.

• Circulate information about your smoke-free policy through internal meetings, email bulletins, newsletters, intranet postings, etc;
• Include details of the policy in employee induction materials and staff reference handbooks.

Staff support

Your smoke-free workplace policy needs to be supportive of staff who want to quit. Don’t expect that they will quit of their own accord purely because of the policy’s prohibitive elements.

You can encourage and support staff who are considering quitting by providing:

• A 'Quit Kit' – a free booklet from Quit containing information on how to quit. Call Quitline on 13 78 48;
• Financial support – for (optional) attendance at a quit smoking course. Contact the Quitline on 13 78 48 for details.

Smoking areas

There is no legal obligation to provide designated smoking areas. However, as mentioned, the social and economic cases for doing so are compelling.

However, if you do decide you must include them at your workplace, take a harm-minimisation approach by ensuring they are:

• Outdoors, clearly designated and well-ventilated. There should be no chance of cigarette smoke contaminating indoor areas;
• Removed from areas with human through-traffic or work areas; and
• Accompanied by rubbish bins for cigarette butts.

Smoking breaks

Cancer Council NSW recommends you discourage employees from taking smoking breaks. Employees have no legal right to smoking breaks.

If you wish to allow smoking breaks, don't allow unlimited breaks. This can lead to reduced productivity on behalf of the smokers, as well as increased stress for non-smokers who are not able to take unlimited breaks.

Enforcement

Make sure all staff understand the conditions of the smoke-free policy, as well as the consequences of not following it. Cancer Council NSW suggests you:

• Make it clear that compliance with the smoke-free policy is a condition of employment. Staff should adhere to it as they would any other workplace policy.
   
• Normal staff disciplinary procedures should apply to non-compliance. This is intended to promote consistency and the importance of the smoke-free policy. Disciplinary procedures can involve:
  • First incident of non-compliance: staff are offered counselling, which reiterates the details of the smoke-free policy and why it has been implemented.
  • If non-staff, such as customers, breach the policy, staff should politely inform/remind them that the premises have been designated smoke-free.

Other strategies

• On-premises sales of tobacco products should be phased out.
• All job advertisements should stipulate the smoke-free workplace policy.
• Encourage other organisations who you may share a common air-conditioning system with to also adopt a smoke-free policy.
• Explain the smoke-free policy to all workplace visitors.

For more information, visit the Cancer Council New South Wales website or Quit Victoria