Smoking Ban comes into effect 1/7/07  The smoking ban which we are all aware of because pubs and restaurants have been very vocal about whether it will be good or bad for business comes into effect during the summer.  However, as managers of businesses you also need to be aware that this means that your employees cannot smoke at work in an enclosed space.  The definition that is coming forward for ‘enclosed’ uses the words ‘wholly or substantially enclosed’ which means that the ‘building’ with anything more than 50% wall and a roof fits this category and employees cannot smoke inside it.  This also includes tents, marquees etc.  So this also means that if you are considering putting up a ‘bus shelter’ for smokers to smoke in it would have to be a 2 sided shelter with roof (not three sided) to be clear of the legislation!     Another angle of the legislation is that smoking in vehicles that are used for business purposes is not allowed and you must display the correct signage in vehicles.  This means if your employees use vans to go about their work then they are not allowed to smoke in them.  If you give your employee a company car which is for their own use (and private) then as a minimum it would be expected that your policy would confirm that they are not to smoke in the car if they have a passenger on business with them.  We would recommend that to save any room for error that your policy says that smoking in company vehicles at any time is not permissible (it is certainly recognised that a smokers vehicle is worth less than a non-smokers vehicle on the second hand market).     While the law is stating the minimum requirements there is no reason why your own company policy cannot go beyond the regulations (for example not smoking in company cars/vans etc at all, not smoking on company premises – ie the land owned by the company rather than just inside the buildings).     We have been speaking to many clients over the last few weeks about this new law and the feedback is that many are already ‘no smoking’ companies and those that aren’t have had comments from their smoking employees hoping that it will help them give up.   However, as a caring employer you might like to consider some of the ways that you might help your employees give up smoking (a great motivational and loyalty tool); you could subsidise nicotine patches, provide them with other ways to increase the chances of successfully giving up, Tim offers hypnotherapy (see his article) and I have a very dear friend who finally managed to give up by attending this type of session. In addition the local PCT in Northamptonshire can offer advice and support (01536 494008).     Your obligations on signage at work can be seen at www.smokefreeengland.co.uk and you should be able to order a small number of the signs you will need after Easter this year.

 

Why Health & Safety? Write an article John for March’s newsletter asks Melissa. Having just returned from three weeks holiday in India it is a little hard to get back into gear and health and safety is not always seen as the most interesting subject to read about. I often hear from companies that they have their first aiders and fire marshals in place and everything else is just common sense isn’t it? Well what is common sense? I am convinced that no board of directors sit around the boardroom table and introduce polices, procedures and practices with the intent of killing and injuring people. However it does happen. Zeebrugge for example. Its common sense not to sail into the open sea with the bow door open isn’t it? Hindsight is of course a wonderful thing with all this but the real issue for all organisations has to be foresight! Sadly the CEO of Network Rail has just unreservedly apologised for the failure of his organisation to carry out a routine inspection on a set of points which led to the recent derailment of the London to Glasgow Virgin express train. Again hindsight is easy, just three nuts and bolts. So how do organisations tackle the potential issues? Quite simply you can’t until you know what they are! Then you can prioritise the issues with an action plan. Carry out an audit or engage someone to do it for you. There are many organisations that offer this service if you do not feel confident or do not have the time however a word of caution. Always ask what the professional qualification of the individual carrying out the audit is. A common mistake with organisations is that they think this is a one off. It’s not! It should be the start of a continual cycle which I firmly believe will add value to any business. After all wouldn’t you rather work for an organisation that endeavours to be professional and get it right or one that takes all the short cuts exposing employees and perhaps others to unnecessary risks and ill health? It’s also a legal requirement to manage the issues correctly but again I would always champion the business benefits before quoting the legal requirements. Finally how many of you reading this has been asked for evidence of your organisations health and safety? It’s becoming increasingly more common and next month I will explain why organisations request, no demand, this. Be Safe