Quote:
What does the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation require for controlling environmental tobacco smoke in hospitality establishments as of May 1, 2002?
The Regulation requires employers in public entertainment facilities to control workers' exposure to environmental tobacco smoke through one of the following options:
- Prohibiting smoking at the worksite
- Restricting smoking to a designated smoking area such as a safe outdoor location, or a designated smoking room (DSR) that is structurally separate from other areas
Under the revised Regulation, workers in the hospitality industry have the right to choose whether to enter a designated smoking room and may not be discriminated against for choosing not to enter a designated smoking room. Where workers do choose to enter the designated smoking room, the Regulation requires there be only intermittent exposure – not to exceed 20% of their work period.
What options are available for an employer who chooses to allow smoking at the workplace?
There are a number of ways hospitality employers can comply with the ETS requirements to manage workers' exposure. Smoking can occur in:
A separately ventilated, structurally separated room which workers may choose to enter for a period of time not to exceed 20% of their work period. Entry must be intermittent.
Patios or outdoor areas that have free movement of air. This usually means an area with a floor, a roof, and obstructions on no more than two sides. Adjacent buildings and objects must be taken into consideration. Smoke should not enter the indoor work area. Employers are responsible for demonstrating that ETS does not accumulate.
That's the most recent version of it; the original was passed back in 98.