Installing a ventilation
system is an option that may reduce some
of your employee’s exposure to secondhand
smoke, but aside from being extremely expensive,
even the newest ventilation technologies
under ideal conditions are incapable of
removing all secondhand smoke and its toxic
constituents from the air.
If I implement
a smoke free policy, will I lose
business?
Studies show that restaurants
that go smoke-free do not tend to lose
business due to their new policies.
Some studies even show
restaurants increasing
business after such a change.
For any type of business, most people
support businesses that adopt a policy
such as this in the interest of the
health of their employees (and customers),
especially when smoke-free workplaces
have become so common nationwide.
What
about separate work areas for smokers
and non-smokers?
Putting smokers in separate
work areas wouldn’t really protect
the nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
Smoke drifts from area to area and is circulated throughout the building by the
air handling system.
Furthermore, allowing smokers to smoke in their separate work area would still
create a dangerous place for any nonsmoking staff (including the maintenance
staff) to visit.
Advocates of smoke-free
restaurants cite studies that show
a positive impact on business. The
opponents say the studies show a negative
impact. Who should I believe?
The Tobacco Control Journal
published a summary review in 2003 where
three researchers independently looked
at 97 studies that had made statements
on the economic impact of smoke-free
hospitality venues.
They found that smoke-free
restaurant and bar laws had no impact,
or a positive impact, on sales and employment.
The researchers also found that all the
studies that had concluded a loss of jobs
and profits following smoke-free legislation
had been supported by the tobacco industry.
Is
it the government's role to regulate
smoking?
Most people agree that
where there is a public health hazard,
it is the role of the government to help
mitigate the risk.
This is why
there are health inspections of restaurants
and there is a law that requires
those who handle food to wash their
hands. We have laws against driving
while intoxicated.
Much like smoking, these are personal behavior choices but when the risk of harm
to the public is apparent, it is imperative that laws are in place to protect
the public over the rights of an individual.
PO Box 1017 Prosperity, South Carolina 29127 PH (803) 364-1011 FAX (803) 364-0116
