Clearing the air - enforcing no smoking policies in the work place - includes related article - Special Report

HR Magazine, Feb, 1993 by Jeffrey S. Harris

A total smoking ban at Telecom Australia, implemented in phases, was negotiated with six unions. There was a low level of violation. After 18 months, 81 percent of employees, including 53 percent of smokers, approved of the ban. Smokers reported using three to four fewer cigarettes a day.(11) Success factors included a clear statement of policy, strong managerial support (including equipping managers with leadership and negotiating skills), and the use of occupational health nurses. Interestingly, line managers wanted unambiguous guidelines for implementation and corporate support for their enforcement of the ban.

Summary

Smoke-free-workplace policies can be instituted successfully without adverse effects if carefully developed and implemented. Top management support appears to be important to a speedy and well-accepted implementation. Few employee relations problems were reported, and no terminations were noted. Smoking prevalence fell, and employee support for the ban increased over time.

Work-site smoking bans can promote the health of all employees. They reduce exposure to particulates, carcinogens, irritants and other toxic combustion products. This cultural/environmental change appears to leverage the effects of current smoking cessation efforts. Such policies may protect employers from workers' compensation claims, as well as tort and regulatory actions by employees who may have suffered adverse health effects from ETS. They may also help reduce health-care and absenteeism costs.

New EPA Study

A new report released Jan. 7 by the Environmental Protection Agency concludes that secondhand cigarette smoke has a "serious and substantial public health impact" on nonsmokers.

EPA administrator William K. Reilly endorsed the report, which was released by a panel of scientific advisers after two years of review. The report's findings show that secondhand cigarette smoke is a human carcinogen, killing about 3,000 nonsmokers in the United States each year because of lung cancer. It also found that cigarette smoke greatly increases the risk of respiratory illness in children.

Health advocates predicted the report would lead to more smoking restrictions in public places, while tobacco industry representatives said it is not supported by scientific evidence.

Legal specialists predicted that the EPA report could increase the number of tobacco-related lawsuits, including workers' compensation claims filed by nonsmokers who say they became ill because of secondary smoke in the workplace.

The week after the EPA report was issued, Labor Secretary Lynn Martin ordered Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials to propose policies for dealing with the health hazard created by cigarette smoke in the workplace.

The Evidence on Passive Smoke Exposure

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) comes from two sources, mainstream and sidestream smoke. Mainstream smoke is a complex aerosol mixture inhaled by the smoker, filtered in the lungs and exhaled. Sidestream smoke is emitted by the lit end of a cigarette or other smoldering tobacco combustion product. Sidestream smoke, which makes up an estimated 85 percent of the smoke in an average room, has higher concentrations of carbon monoxide, ammonia, nitrosamines, benzene and aromatic amines than mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke has a smaller particle size, allowing deeper penetration into the lungs. It is also unfiltered. In all, there are more than 3,800 substances in ETS. A nonsmoker's exposure is determined by smoking rate, ventilation, type of cigarette, duration of exposure and other factors.