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This section is all about supporting you the employer as a Smokefree workplace. You will need to be sensitive to the needs of your employees in developing any workplace smoke free policy. Consultation is always advised with the focus on the effects of second hand smoke as a Health and Safety issue. Allowing colleagues to choose the support available from Stop Smoking Services if they so wish is an excellent starting point. This is one of a range of options the conscientious employer can offer to create a supportive environment for all affected by the new Smokefree law. Please use the resources shown below and website links to support you in preparing your workplace for the introduction of the Smokefree law.
Why Ventilation Does Not Work
Ventilation doesn't protect you from secondhand smoke
Tobacco smoke is a potent cocktail of over 4,000 chemicals, including more than 50 known to cause cancer such as benzene and arsenic. The tobacco industry claims that ventilation removes secondhand smoke, but all it does is improve the subjective quality of the air and dilute rather than remove pollutants. Ventilation may remove the smell of smoke but not the dangers; there is no safe level of secondhand smoke.
Health Risks from secondhand smoke
Tobacco is a major health hazard, one in two smokers die from diseases caused by smoking, half of them before they reach old age and so even secondhand smoke carries significant risks to those exposed to it. It's estimated that three people a day die from secondhand smoke in the UK and many more suffer ill health because of it.
- Expert advice by the World Health Organisation states that ventilation and air filtration are ineffective because there is no safe level of exposure to the carcinogenic and toxic chemicals that secondhand smoke contains.
- Non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke at work have an increased risk of lung cancer of 16 to 19 per cent.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke equivalent to just 1 per cent that of active smoking carries a risk of coronary heart disease of almost half that of smoking 20 cigarettes a day.
- Just 30 minutes of breathing secondhand smoke affects blood and blood vessels nearly as much as being a pack a day smoker.
Reasons Why Ventilation isn't effective
- Ventilation standards are voluntary and designed for comfort, not for safety.
- Studies show that ventilation systems are usually not well maintained, making them even less likely to be effective.
- It would require much higher ventilation rates, which are noisy and cause discomfort, to reduce health risks significantly.
Reasons Why Air Filtration is not effective
- Air filtration or air ionising equipment can only remove visible particles; they are not effective in removing invisible and highly toxic gases.
- This equipment clogs up quickly and requires a high level of maintenance which is rarely given.
What about separate smoking areas with separate ventilation?
- Pollution levels may be slightly reduced but tobacco smoke drifts and staff will still have no choice but to breathe secondhand smoke. Even if they are smokers their exposure to secondhand smoke increases their health risks along with those of their customers.
- Ventilation is an expensive solution, with high capital and running costs, while locations which are smokefree throughout have none of these extra costs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who produces the Smokefree Hertfordshire website and resources?
Smokefree Hertfordshire is produced by the Local Authorities within the county. More information is available on the Home page.
Can you send me leaflets, postcards or posters on a particular health topic?
We cannot send out resources related to particular topics, however we do have a number of downloadable resources available on this site. You can also find information about organisations that produce relevant resources in the resources in the links section. Many of these can be easily downloaded.
The Workplace and Smokefree Eating
When is smokefree legislation going to be implemented?
The legislation will be implemented on 1st of July 2007.
What is the aim of smokefree legislation?
The new law will protect the people in enclosed public places and workplaces from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
What does the new law do?
Smokefree legislation will mean that virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces will become smokefree. This means:
- it will be an offence to smoke in smokefree premises
- it will be an offence for managers of smokefree premises to permit others to smoke within the premises
- it will be an offence for managers of smokefree premises to not display necessary no-smoking signs at the premises
Is secondhand smoke really that harmful?
Secondhand smoke kills. The Government's independent Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health concluded in 2004 that exposure to secondhand smoke contributes to a range of serious medical conditions, including:
- lung cancer
- heart disease
- asthma attacks
- childhood respiratory disease
- sudden infant death syndrome, and
- reduced lung function
In 2006, the US Surgeon General concluded that:
- secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and adults who do not smoke
- children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in children
- exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer
- the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke
The World Health Organisation has classified secondhand smoke as a known human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency classified secondhand smoke as a "class A" human carcinogen along with asbestos, arsenic, benzene and radon.
What sort of smoking will smokefree legislation cover?
The legislation will cover the smoking of tobacco or anything that contains tobacco, or smoking any other substance, including manufactured cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes, pipes and cigars.
This means that anything that is smoked is covered by smokefree legislation, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, herbal cigarettes and water pipes (including shisha, hookah and hubble-bubble pipes).
Will this include cigar loungers and water pipe (shisha, hookah, hubble-bubble) bars and cafes?
Yes, the legislation covers virtually all enclosed workplaces and public places, including cigar loungers and water pipe bars and cafes.
Some people say that smoking will be banned outdoors, like in the streets outside of pubs.
Smokefree legislation covers enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces.
The Health Act 2006 also includes powers to make non-enclosed places smokefree if there is "significant risk that, without designation, persons present there would be exposed to significant quantities of smoke". At present, the Government does not intend to make any non-enclosed place smokefree.
The Government is not taking away people's choice to smoke, but recognises that exposing others to secondhand smoke can seriously harm their health.
What is the definition of 'enclosed' and 'substantially enclosed'?
Enclosed - Premises will be considered to be enclosed if they have a ceiling or roof and, except for doors, windows or passageways, are wholly enclosed, whether on a permanent or temporary basis. Tents, marquees or similar will also be classified as enclosed premises if they fall within this definition.
Substantially Enclosed - Premises are substantially enclosed if they have a ceiling or roof, but there are permanent openings in the walls which are less than half of the total areas of walls, including other structures which serve the purpose of walls and constitute the perimeter of premises. This is known as the 50% rule.
When determining the area of an opening, no account can be taken of openings in which doors, windows or other fittings that can be open or shut.
A roof includes any fixed or movable structures, such as canvas awnings.
Why are ventilated smoking rooms not an alternative?
Evidence shows that ventilation does not provide a solution to eliminating the health risks associated with secondhand smoke. Scientists have shown that to remove the risks of secondhand smoke, an enclosed premises would need wind tunnel-like rates of ventilation, which would then make smoking nearly impossible.
You can read more about this in the joint 2003 report from the Health and Safety Authority and the Office of Tobacco Control in the Republic of Ireland titled The Health Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke in the Workplace.
How will smokefree legislation impact on the hospitality industry?
There is international evidence from countries that have introduced legislation for smokefree public places and workplaces that the overall impact of smokefree legislation on the hospitality industry is not detrimental. The Department of Health addressed the impacts of smokefree legislation in the Regulatory Impact Assessment that was published within Smokefree Premises and Vehicles: Consultation on proposed regulations to be made under powers in the Health Bill.
Importantly, smokefree legislation will be good for the health of hospitality workers and patrons. In June 2006, The British Institute of Innkeeping?s magazine said that:
"...we are talking about banning the use of a carcinogenic substance which in enclosed spaces kills or damages the health of passive smokers ? that means licensees and bar staff and customers. This is a scientific fact, and we should bear this in mind along with the economic arguments"
What support is available for people deciding to quit smoking?
The NHS provides a wide range of excellent and easily accessible smoking cessation services including; local NHS Stop Smoking Services, The Together Programme, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) available on prescription.
Business owners, employers and individuals are encouraged to contact NHS if they would like advice on supporting staff who would like to quit. Call NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169, or visit www.gosmokefree.co.uk
Has the introduction of smokefree legislation been successful in other countries?
Across the world, as the evidence of the risks associated with secondhand smoke exposure has accumulated, action has been taken to reduce people's exposure to secondhand smoke.
Ireland (2004), Norway (2004), Scotland (2006), New Zealand (2004), Singapore and various Canadian territories and Australian States are examples of places which have introduced comprehensive smokefree legislation (including smokefree pubs, bars and restaurants).
In America, California has had state-wide smokefree public places since 1998 and New York City passed smokefree legislation in 2003. In total, over nine US states have smokefree legislation that required completely smokefree restaurants and bars.
This legislation has proved to be effective in protecting people from the health risks of secondhand smoke. Research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found rapid and significant improvement in respiratory health of bartenders after the implementation smokefree workplace legislation in California.
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