Employers have been urged to get their act together and introduce smoking bans into their shops, factories, offices, restaurants and bars ahead of the 1 July smoking ban.
The TUC has published a guide for union safety reps to help them work with employers to bring in the ban in a way that meets all the legal requirements, fully involves staff and doesn’t persecute smokers.
The guide reminds employers that there is much to think about before any workplace can become smoke-free.
By 1 July 2007, all English workplaces will have to display non-smoking signs at all entrances and in any company vehicles, all smoking rooms will have to disappear, and the issue of breaks for smokers who need to go outside to light up also needs to be considered.
Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said: “With less than three months to go before smoking is outlawed in all English workplaces and public spaces, employers don’t have much time to get their act together.
“But with a little thought and forward planning, making a workplace smoke-free can be a fairly painless experience, even for the most hardcore smokers.”
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