Workplace smoking under fire

Smokers may come under more fire as the Health & Safety Commission look to crack down on passive smoking in the workplace.

An option included in a consultative document is a proposal to introduce an Approved Code of Practice, which would provide employers with guidance on their obligations under health, safety and welfare law concerning passive smoking in the workplace.

This code of practice would operate under the same regulations as the Highway Code, so failing to operate with its regulations would not be illegal, but an employer would have to prove to the court that they had used other methods to effectively comply with the law.

Launching the consultation in London, Sir Frank Davies, HSC chairman, said:

"HSC believes that all employers should have agreed policies on smoking at work that ensure employee's health and welfare at work. There is a lot of guidance for employers about how to do this, yet it seems that as many as one in five have not done so."

Tessa Jowell, Minister for public health welcomed the Heath and Safety Commission's plans saying, "far too many employees are still exposed to tobacco smoke at work, despite existing guidance on passive smoking in the workplace.

"This Approved Code, if agreed, will not ban smoking. It will offer employers sensible, practical guidance on how best to abide by the law, whilst giving employees the reassurance that they will not have to breath tobacco smoke against their will."

Julie Crisp