Smoking at work (HELP)

[royalwud]

( My second week off work due to breathing in other colleges second hand smoke

[noggin1969]

Get in touch with your local Enviromental Health unit at the council , it is illegal to smoke in the work place. Royal mail bans smoking on it's sites to this includes the bay , yard or vans

The ban applies in all enclosed or ‘substantially enclosed’ public places and workplaces, as well as in certain circumstances in vehicles used for work.
Premises are considered ‘enclosed’ if they have a ceiling or roof and (except for doors, windows or passageways) are wholly enclosed either on a permanent or temporary basis.
Premises are considered ‘substantially enclosed’ if they have a ceiling or roof but have an opening in the walls which is less than half the total area of the walls. The area of the opening does not include doors, windows or any other fittings that can be opened or shut.
Smoking rooms are no longer permitted.
The new law requires vehicles to be smoke-free at all times if they are used:
to transport members of the public
in the course of paid or voluntary work by more than one person – regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time.
Vehicles that are used primarily for private purposes will not be required to be smoke-free.
Smokefree vehicles will need to display a no-smoking sign in each compartment of the vehicle in which people can be carried. This must show the international no-smoking symbol no smaller than 70mm in diameter.

[Ahebban]

Hi, if you have a H&S Rep see if he can do a H&S Inspection, highlighting the problem with the proximity of the smoking area at the workplace. Failing that contact the Area H&S Rep to investigate the problem. RM would be failing in its duty to care for the physical well-being of its employees if the smoking area does not comply with legal requirements. Nationally, I believe RM have adopted a policy of no smoking at the workplace, so any smoking that does take place must be off RM property or well away from work areas used by colleagues and customers alike.

[brothermagrew]

( My second week off work due to breathing in other colleges second hand smoke)


Im from a delivery office of 40 employees and the loading bay / yard is small, we have about 13 smokers
who smoke on the loading bay and in the yard thats about 15 meters / 20 meters,

The manager smokes as well and refusers to do anything point blank,

So i contacted my local cwu, on more than one occasion and just got fobbed off,

Iv tried to contact my local authority for the compliance officer, but we do not have one,

so what do i do return to work and carry on with my headaches & breathing problems
or hand in my notice ?

Be tenacious do not hand in your notice, your local environmental authority must have at least one person who deals with such things, in my area of Scotland they are known as Smoke Control Enforcement Supervisor. It would of course have helped if you had given an indication of which part of the UK your workplace is in.

If it is affecting your health that much then consider Emailing Moya and let her know just what exactly is going on. Don't miss out on nothing and as a health and safety rep, I am appalled to read that you are constantly being fobbed off by the local CWU.

A wee background check informs me you are from the Nottinghamshire area.

As such:
COMPLIANCE
Each local council is responsible for enforcing the smokefree law in its area. The council will also give advice to anyone who is unsure about the definitions of enclosed and substantially enclosed premises.

Any infringement of the smokefree law must be reported to the manager or owner of the building or vehicle. The other option is to contact the local council, or phone the Smokefree Compliance Line on 0800 587 1667

Penalties and fines
Managers and owners of premises and vehicles are legally obliged to prevent smoking. If they fail to exhibit no smoking signs, they risk a £200 fixed penalty (£150 when paid in 15 days) or a court fine of up to £1,000. Should they fail to stop someone who smokes in their building or vehicle, they face a maximum court fine of £2,500.

People who smoke despite the warning signs are subject to a fixed penalty of £50 (£30 when paid within 15 days) or a fine of up to £200 if the matter goes to court.

Smokefree Compliance Line
Who do I call if I see someone smoking?
If you believe someone is breaking the law by smoking in a smokefree premises or vehicle, we suggest you let a member of staff know as soon as possible so the incident can be dealt with quickly.

Members of the public may alternatively call the smokefree compliance line on 0800 587 1667 to report possible breaches of the law. Your call will be answered by a call centre operator, who will then forward the information to the relevant local councils to follow-up as appropriate.

A call to the smokefree compliance line should be approximately 3 minutes long. Information will be emailed to local authorities on a daily basis.

What happens if people make false complaints to the compliance line?
Local councils have considerable experience of handling complaints on a wide range of issues. All valid complaints will be looked into by local councils, who will decide on the appropriate enforcement action to be taken. If employers can demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps to comply with the smokefree law, they have nothing to fear in the unlikely event that false calls are made.

Do I remain anonymous?
If you make a call to the smokefree compliance line, you can ask to remain anonymous. However if you wish to leave your details you may be contacted by the local authority for further information to assist them when they are looking into the matter.

Above info should be enough to get you on the road to recovery.

[andy2007]

Get in touch with your local Enviromental Health unit at the council , it is illegal to smoke in the work place. Royal mail bans smoking on it's sites to this includes the bay , yard or vans
That's not quite right. RM banned smoking on their premises, EXCEPT in official smoking areas (one per site). These are usually located as far away from the building as possible (the opposite end of the Car Park for example). And often (but not always) have some form of shelter for the smokers. So if you don't smoke, you should never get close enough to breathe the second hand smoke. How they get around this when there isn't enough space to leave an adequate gap, I don't know. But they have a duty of care to MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH PASSIVE SMOKING!

The ban applies in all enclosed or ‘substantially enclosed’ public places and workplaces, as well as in certain circumstances in vehicles used for work.
Premises are considered ‘enclosed’ if they have a ceiling or roof and (except for doors, windows or passageways) are wholly enclosed either on a permanent or temporary basis.
Premises are considered ‘substantially enclosed’ if they have a ceiling or roof but have an opening in the walls which is less than half the total area of the walls. The area of the opening does not include doors, windows or any other fittings that can be opened or shut.
Smoking rooms are no longer permitted.
The new law requires vehicles to be smoke-free at all times if they are used:
to transport members of the public
in the course of paid or voluntary work by more than one person – regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time.
Vehicles that are used primarily for private purposes will not be required to be smoke-free.
Smokefree vehicles will need to display a no-smoking sign in each compartment of the vehicle in which people can be carried. This must show the international no-smoking symbol no smaller than 70mm in diameter.

[ldsposti]

Hi i'm a smoker but on your side, get onto your h&s rep the rules are no smoking within 4metres of a door or window, if you have a yard for loading vans that becomes a work area, so they must leave the site also i'm sure there is a download on here with our smoking policy, if all else fails contact dave joyce at union hq.

[Stormproof]

I think you need to see some sort of specialist regarding your breathing problems. I can't believe that passive smoking is the only cause of your illness or if you can prove it is I would get onto your solicitor because you could be a very rich person.
I thought smoking areas had to be at least 5 meters from an open door/window. We've a smoking shelter in the car park at my office.

[noggin1969]

We don't have a smoking shelter at our office just two small bins at the end of the yard on the main rd

[fishtank]

We don't have a smoking shelter at our office just two small bins at the end of the yard on the main rd

Some offices where it is safe and meets the legal criteria will have an "on site" facility.
Others will have to move off-site.
There is no specific ban on smoking on Royal Mail property...just an adherence to the law.
However if employees were not following these guidelines it could be considered a reasonable response for a manager to remove all smoking facilities from the premises in order to ENSURE compliance with the legal requirements.

[POSTMAN]

Strange the CWU fobbed you off.
Your manager technically is in big trouble and should have a big fine for what he's letting go on.

justsayit@royalmail.com

[BELIAL]

Go for it ,why should you breathe in other folks crap. Any suggestions about what I can do about the M4 ;A34 :DRAX B and ReChem ,no contest on a ppm or toxicity value

[brothermagrew]

Second-hand smoke

Health risks
Passive smoking means breathing in other people's tobacco smoke. The health risks of exposure to second-hand smoke or 'environmental tobacco smoke' (ETS) as it is also known are clear.

The Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health concludes that:

•Exposure to second-hand smoke is a cause of lung cancer and, in those with long-term exposure, the increased risk is 20-30%
•Exposure to second-hand smoke is a cause of heart disease, and represents a substantial public health hazard
•Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause asthma in children, and may increase the severity of the condition in children already affected
In addition to the long-term effects, recent research published in the British Medical Journal suggests that second-hand smoke may trigger heart attacks in some people after only short periods of exposure.

Although the absolute level of risk is not yet known, it has been advised that people at risk of coronary heart disease and those with known coronary artery disease should, where possible, avoid indoor smoky environments.

In the workplace
•Employers have a duty under section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.

•The introduction of smoking policies that restrict or ban smoking in the workplace can result in a reduction in the short-term effects of passive smoking and improve the quality of the working environment for all staff. Smoking policies that ban smoking in the workplace have also been shown to encourage smokers to give up smoking.

•Ventilation systems have been suggested as a means of reducing exposure to second-hand smoke in workplaces and leisure facilities, but research suggests that the air-flows possible with current ventilation systems are not sufficient to eliminate the health risk associated with second-hand smoke.

[Stormproof]

Have you got yourself to the Drs yet Postman to get a prescription for those stop smoking pills? 4 weeks today without a smoke for me and I have'nt killed anyone yet

[noggin1969]

Yep , you'

[POSTMAN]

Have you got yourself to the Drs yet Postman to get a prescription for those stop smoking pills? 4 weeks today without a smoke for me and I have'nt killed anyone yet

Nice one,no not yet.
Probably in a week or so though.