1.
1.1 The Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974) requires that the City Council takes reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of employees and members of the public visiting Council premises.
1.2 Despite this, there are three million people still exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at work and smoking is still the largest preventable cause of death and disability in Britain today.
1.3 Smoking is associated with around 50 major illnesses including cancer, heart disease, stoke, bronchitis and emphysema as well as making smokers more susceptible to coughs, colds and flu. Smoking has also been found to have major impact on pregnancy, the unborn child and young people.
1.4 In addition to the damage done to smokers themselves, environmental tobacco smoke (passive smoking) causes an estimated 12,000 deaths each year in the UK.
1.5 Second hand smoke can cause misery in the work place for the non-smoking workforce, leading to increased costs to the Council from sick pay, absenteeism, loss of productivity and potential litigation.
1.6 In addition, smoking has significant impacts on the quality of the public environment via littering. One recent report on the quality of the public realm in the city centre found that 97% of litter was smoking related (discarded wrappers, packets or butts).
2. Principles of the Policy
2.1 Manchester City Council recognises and fully accepts those responsibilities placed upon it by health and safety legislation to provide a working environment where the employees’ safety and health is of the utmost importance.
2.2 The purpose of the Tobacco Control Policy is to protect and improve the health, safety and well being of all elected members, employees and people who visit Council premises.
2.3 The Council recognises that both smoking and environmental tobacco smoke have harmful consequences and should be prohibited except in areas that have been designated exempt. For those areas suitable control measures should be applied (see Paragraph 3.11).
2.4 The Council recognises that smoking is an addiction and aims to provide a supportive environment for those wishing to overcome it. Employees will therefore be permitted 2 hours paid time leave to access an initial smoking cessation consultation with the Manchester Smoking Cessation Service.
3. Policy statement
3.1 Paragraphs 3.2 – 3.8 below set out the normal policy position. Specific variations to this general policy are described in paragraphs 3.9 – 3.14.
General policy
3.2 The City Council supports the Tobacco Free Greater Manchester campaign for smoke free public places, and will actively work towards achieving this end across the whole city.
3.3 With effect from [date to be agreed] complete prohibition on smoking in all parts of City Council premises will be applied.
3.4 Where the City Council is renting office space, a prohibition on smoking will apply within those offices rented by the City Council. The Council will request that the policy is also applied to any communal areas, where applicable.
3.5 Smoking will be prohibited in all the following areas:
3.5.1. Access doorways, surrounding areas, rest rooms, corridors and toilets.
3.5.2. All Council owned vehicles.
3.5.3. Officers’ private vehicles while transporting official passengers on Council business (including service users).
3.5.4. All Members’ rooms, including the Members’ lounge and dining areas.
3.5.5. All Council owned public buildings, including theatres, cafes, sports and recreational facilities. The sale of tobacco produce will also be prohibited in all of these outlets.
3.5.6. Youth Clubs.
3.6 No facilities will be provided for smokers either inside or outside Council premises.
3.7 Council employees who wish to smoke may only do so in their own time. Employees must not absent themselves from their place of work during work time for the purposes of smoking.
3.8 Managers must not condone employees taking time off work in order to smoke.
Policy within schools
3.9 For schools, the policy recommends that school Governing Bodies and Head Teachers adopt a Tobacco Control Policy that prohibits all smoking in school premises and school grounds.
Residential homes
3.10 Residential homes must aim for the prohibition of smoking on Council premises. Where this is impractical for certain residents for whom the residence is considered a home, suitable control measures should be applied in order to minimise the risk to employees and other residents (see paragraph 3.11).
Hierarchy of measures for designated exemptions
3.11 The Health and Safety Commission’s draft Approved Code of Practice (A.Co.P) on control of environmental tobacco smoke proposes a ‘hierarchy of measures’ to minimise the risk of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke to employees and members of the public. These measures include:
· Completely banning smoking;
· Banning smoking except in designated rooms;
· Having separate smoking and non-smoking areas;
· Adopting a safe system of work.
3.12 It is essential that the most effective methods of controlling environmental tobacco smoke should be explored first.
3.13 Research by the Health and Safety Executive has found that provision of a ventilation system within a specific area of a workplace is inadequate in providing protection against environmental tobacco smoke, and therefore this cannot be recommended as a means of providing any protection to elected members, employees or visitors of the Council.
3.14 In line with the City Council’s aim of providing a supportive environment for those who wish to stop smoking, information about local smoking cessation services may be made available in any areas specifically designated for smoking.
4. Implementation and enforcement of the Policy
4.1 Each Chief Officer will be responsible for the promotion and maintenance of a smoke-free working environment. The Manchester Joint Health Unit will co-ordinate training and support for suitable personnel within department on this issue, via the Manchester Smoking Cessation Service, for cascading to employees.
4.2 The Employee Health Strategy Group and the Manchester City Council Corporate Occupational Health Unit will promote the smoking cessation support services offered by the Manchester Smoking Cessation Service.
4.3 All job applicants shall be made aware of the Tobacco Control Policy at the interview stage, and a requirement to abide by it will be part of the person specification for new jobs.
4.4 A copy of this policy will be included in induction packs for new starters.
4.5 Failure to abide by the Tobacco Control Policy will result in the initiation of disciplinary action on the individual, in accordance with Manchester City Council procedures.
4.6 Non-employees who breach the Tobacco Control Policy will be asked to leave the premises concerned.
4.7 Smokers, employees and non-employees, may be fined for littering the streets when inappropriately disposing of cigarette ends.
5. Policy Review
5.1 The Head of Personnel will ensure that this Tobacco Control Policy will be reviewed no later than 12 months from the date of implementation.
6. Details of smoking cessation services
6.1 The Manchester Smoking Cessation Service can be contacted at:
Manchester Health Promotion Specialist Service
Victoria Mill
Lower Vickers Street
Miles Platting
Manchester M40 7LP
Tel: 0161 205 5998
