April 27, 2007—According to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Wales recently became the latest UK nation to ban smoking from the workplace. Northern Ireland will introduce their ban later in April, and England’s ban will take effect in July.
IOSH urges employers not to wait until the bans are officially in place, but to go ahead and introduce healthy smoke-free work environments as soon as possible, similar to those that the Republic of Ireland has enjoyed for the last three years. Prior to these bans over 600 people were estimated to die in the UK each year as a result of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke at work, says IOSH.
IOSH offers a free guide called “A breath of fresh air—introducing a smoke-free policy at work,” which can be downloaded from the IOSH Web site.
For more information visit the Health Scotland, Clearing the Air Scotland, Smoking Ban Wales, Northern Ireland’s Space to Breathe, or Smoke Free England Web sites.
