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Ministry of Health

Make Your Workplace Tobacco-Free

Quitnow.ca 1-877-455-2233

Did You Know?

All indoor public places and workplaces in BC are smoke--free, including a 3 metre buffer zone around doorways, open windows, and air intakes to public and work places. Also, retail shops must not display tobacco or tobacco products where youth under 19 years of age have access.

As a business manager, owner, or lessee, you have a legal responsibility to prevent people from contravening the tobacco laws. It is therefore up to you to take reasonable steps to ensure that your customers, members and visitors are aware that your premises are smoke-free. This includes buffer zones and work vehicles.


Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in British Columbia – and costs the BC economy $2.3 billion each year.  Why promote a tobacco-free workplace? Employees who smoke can cost your business more because of absenteeism, health care benefits and lost productivity. Don’t let your team’s health or your profits go up in smoke!

Five Reasons to Provide a Tobacco-Free Workplace:

  • Better Business: Smoking employees can cost businesses up to $3,396 per person each year.
  • Better Health:  Second-hand smoke can be a major cause of illnesses such as heart disease and lung cancer and can aggravate existing conditions such as asthma.
  • Employee Satisfaction:  Results of a recent national survey showed that 95% of non-smokers and 88% of smokers felt that non-smokers should be allowed to have a non-smoking workplace.
  • Complying with Legislation:  Laws and by-laws which restrict smoking in workplaces are increasing.
  • Avoiding Litigation:  Liability charges against employers for exposure to second-hand smoke have been increasing.

Source: Health Canada

What Employers Can Do What Employees Can Do
  • Provide information and support to employees who smoke with information on smoking and tobacco use reduction and how to access free QuitNow Services, counselling and web based services.
  • Offer to pay for quit smoking programs and nicotine replacement therapies, develop quit smoking challenges that encourage and support smokers to quit, and provide incentives for quitting.
  • Comply with provincial smoking restrictions that includes bans smoking in indoor public places and work places; bans smoking near public doorways, open windows, and air intakes; and limits to the display and sales of tobacco and tobacco products.
  • If you smoke, do not smoke in your workplace, in indoor public places, near public doorways, open windows or air intakes.
  • If you are a smoker and are motivated to quit, consider making use of free QuitNow Services, counselling and web based services.
  • If you work with other smokers, help to develop quit smoking challenges that encourage and support smokers to quit.
Resources
  • QuitNow Services provide British Columbians with free, 24-hour-a-day help to those wanting to reduce and quit their tobacco use. Trained care coaches will help develop a quit plan, deal with cravings and provide on-going support. QuitNow is available by phone, online, or through a free 14-week mobile texting service. Coaches are available 24/7/365 with translation services available in over 130 languages. QuitNow Services are delivered through the BC Lung Association.
  • B.C. Smoking Cessation Program helps people stop smoking or using other tobacco products by assisting them with the cost of smoking cessation aids. The program covers selected prescription smoking cessation drugs as benefits under PharmaCare. Selected non-prescription nicotine replacement therapy products (NRTs) are provided at no cost. The program is open to British Columbia residents who wish to stop smoking or using other tobacco products.