www.WorkingSmokeFree.com

Policy options

According to a study by the CDC, in workplaces where smoking is allowed, 59% of non-smokers report that exposure to secondhand smoke causes them discomfort. Adopting a smoke-free workplace policy decreases employees' exposure to secondhand smoke, thereby decreasing their associated discomfort and health risks.

There are several types of smoke-free workplace policies available to you. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, both to the employee and to the employer. The policy options available to you, as well as the pros and cons of each, are listed in the table below. You may also want to consider the following questions when deciding what type of policy is right for your organization:

	Given your employees' interests, health, and work environment, what policy will provide them with the most protection?
	What policy will offer the greatest benefits to the company at the lowest cost?
	What policy will management find the most supportable?
	What community ordinances exist governing smoking in public places or workplaces?
	What are the customers' or the community's expectations regarding secondhand smoke, given the policies in other similar workplaces and public sentiments about secondhand smoke?

Policy type

Pros

Cons

100% smoke-free
No smoking is allowed on entire business campus, in business-owned vehicles, and at business sponsored events

	Complies with all laws and ordinances
	Greatly reduces secondhand smoke exposure for all employees
	Provides best health and safety benefits for employees
	May reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by employees
	Encourages employees to quit smoking
	Decreases maintenance costs
	Sends a clear message to employees
	Easier to administer and enforce than other policy types
	Low cost to implement

	Requires smokers to modify their behavior
	Inconvenience to employees who smoke
	If not properly managed, smokers may be disproportionately absent from their workstations

Smoking outdoors only - restricted
No smoking is allowed indoors, but smokers are allowed to smoke outside, away from windows and entrances

	Complies with laws and ordinances
	Reduces secondhand smoke exposure for all employees
	Provides health and safety benefits for employees
	May reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by employees
	Encourages employees to quit smoking
	Decreases maintenance costs
	Low cost to implement
	Less potential secondhand smoke exposure for nonsmoking employees than with an unrestricted outdoor smoking policy

	Costs may be incurred if outside smoking shelters are constructed
	Cigarette butts may create an unsightly litter problem outdoors, particularly near entrances, thereby negatively impacting corporate image and increasing maintenance costs
	Requires smokers to modify their behavior
	Inconvenience to employees who smoke
	If not properly managed, smokers may be disproportionately absent from their workstations

Smoking outdoors only - unrestricted
No smoking is allowed indoors, but smokers are allowed to smoke outside

	Complies with laws and ordinances
	Reduces secondhand smoke exposure for most employees
	Provides health and safety benefits for employees
	May reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by employees
	Encourages employees to quit smoking
	Decreases maintenance costs
	Low cost to implement

	Employee smoking directly outside building impacts corporate image
	Unrestricted outdoor smoking often results in smokers congregating near entrances, causing nonsmokers to have to walk through a cloud of smoke to get in and out of the building
	Nonsmokers still unnecessarily exposed to some secondhand smoke
	Cigarette butts may create an unsightly litter problem outdoors, particularly near entrances, thereby negatively impacting corporate image and increasing maintenance costs
	Requires smokers to modify their behavior
	Inconvenience to employees who smoke
	If not properly managed, smokers may be disproportionately absent from their workstations
	Smoking near a building intake vent will circulate smoke through the building.

Smoking in separately ventilated areas
No smoking is allowed indoors except in specially designated separately ventilated rooms

	Complies with most laws and ordinances
	Reduces (but does not eliminate) nonsmokers' exposure to secondhand smoke
	Allows smokers to stay indoors

	Doesn't work adequately (Click here for more info)
	May have adverse effects on smokers' health
	Building and maintaining separately ventilated lounges is expensive
	Requires space
	Ventilation systems do not adequately protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure

Reference:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Office on Smoking and Health, USDHHS, Wellness Council of America, American Cancer Society. Making your workplace smokefree: A decision maker's guide 1996.