GENEVA - Planned smoking bans in workplaces in the Norwegian town of Levanger may have provoked local outrage, but according to the new report by the ILO, the anti-smoking lobby is gaining the upper hand in the workplace.
Workplace smoking: A review of national and local practical and regulatory measures, says that attitudes towards smoking are changing all over the world, although many workers still face a long road to clean air where they work, especially in the hospitality industry.
A ban on smoking in Irish workplaces sparked colourful opposition, but stiff fines for offenders and visible policing of the ban seem to be working. North America is clearly leading in efforts to make workplaces smoke-free however. Florida citizens voted overwhelming in 2002, for a constitutional amendment prohibiting smoking in enclosed indoor workplaces, including restaurants. And the states of California, Maine, Utah and Vermont, as well as the cities of New York and Boston, have passed similar laws.
The rest of the world may not be far behind. "The negative health effects of smoking and passive smoking have become common knowledge in many parts of the world," says Carin Hakansta, author of the report.
Many employers are taking the issue seriously. The report cites examples of salary initiatives for workers who kick the habit and workplace "non-smoking marshals" enforcing the ban. Trade unions, especially in the hospitality industry, are showing increasing interest in protecting their members against passive or "second-hand" smoke. And governments are increasingly institutionalizing strategies to reduce smoking through legislation, national programmes, coordination bodies and massive campaigns.
Smoking isn't always a priority issue however, especially in developing countries where health budgets tend to focus on serious illnesses such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. In tobacco-producing countries, especially in Africa, regulation of smoking risks can also cause conflict of interest.
Nevertheless, money spent on tobacco in poor countries would be put to better use providing food or education, the study argues. It cites a survey of rickshaw pullers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who spend up to 40 per cent of their incomes on smoking.
Moreover, stamping out the fog of smoke produced by the world legion of smokers, whether at work or outside the workplace, won't happen overnight. Says Hakansta, "It will take time before awareness levels are where they should be, and before the main actors deal with the issue in a responsible way."
Want a smoke-free workplace?
Want a smoke-free workplace?
The new study picked out six elements which have helped remove smoke from workplaces worldwide:
- Innovative partnerships between governments, employers, workers, and international and religious organizations
- The acknowledgment of smoking as an occupational safety and health issue
- Information and communication to successfully implement legislation
- Concrete guidelines: The study analysed 18 guidelines to help achieve smoke-free workplaces
- Workplace assistance programmes to stop and prevent smoking
- Smoking policies developed following the comprehensive and dynamic involvement of trade unions and all the relevant sections of the enterprise or organization
Note 1: Workplace smoking: A review of national and local practical and regulatory measures, Carin Hakansta, International Labour Office, 2004.