Posted on June 11, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
Do you need No Smoking or Open Flame Zones around your facility?
OK. We all know about the legal reasons why no smoking areas are required in workplaces. I’m sure you have seen these areas that help prevent exposure to second-hand smoke. But what if your workplace stores flammables? Are any of the chemicals that you work with combustible? Posting no smoking or open flame signs can prevent fires, flashpoints and injuries.
Safety is an important factor in today’s workplace. Keeping employees and visitors informed about dangerous materials is not only a health benefit but also a compliance issue as well. For instance, OSHA requires that “conspicuous and legible signs prohibiting smoking shall be posted within sight of the customer” at gasoline fueling stations.
There are many ways you can post notices of flammable materials.
Safety Signs are the most common way businesses identify areas where smoking and open flames are restricted. They come in a variety of materials, sizes, and mounting options to fit the work environment.
When it comes to marking areas where portable tanks are in use, such as oxygen, a better option is a slim sign that holds either magnetically or by a clip to doorframes. These signs are portable so you can move them as the situation changes.
Another option which may work better for you is floor marking tape and decals. The laminated vinyl tape is designed to adhere to clean concrete and resists oil, grease and wear and tear. You can choose from various solid colors or stripes to signify different levels of hazards.
Whatever you choose, you need to keep in mind the type of hazard you have and the best way to convey this to your employees. If they don’t notice your signs, whatever you do won’t help. Make your signs obvious so they don’t get overlooked!
Filed under: Smoking Areas, Workplace Smoking Policy | Tagged: flammable gas, flammable liquid, flammable materials, hazardous chemicals, no smoking zones, osha-compliant | Leave a Comment »
Posted on May 5, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
Does your company or facility have a designated smoking area? Most states have laws that restrict smoking in certain areas of your workplace or public areas. This usually means that you have to put cigarette butt receptacles and signs outside of those areas in order for smokers to toss their butts away. Otherwise your maintenance department will have a mess to clean up!
There are many options to choose from when you are considering buying an ash receptacle. Do you need to put the cans inside or outside? Is there a space limitation – should they hang on the wall or be mounted to the floor? How many people do you estimate are going to use these receptacles in a given period? How often do you think your maintenance team will be emptying them?
Receptacles designed for outdoor use usually feature a top that prevents rain from getting in and are made from aluminum and stainless steel so they don’t rust. A good example of that is the Tower smoking receptacle which is weather-resistant and has a small footprint so it fits in narrow areas.
Smoking receptacles should have an oxygen-restricting design to prevent inadvertent trash fires. Some have an inner liner that is flame-resistant while others snuff out the lit cigarettes as they are disposed of. Indoor smoking urns usually have sand substitute to extinguish the discarded cigarette butts.
Lastly, make sure it’s easy for your maintenance crew to empty the butt cans! No-Mess Smoking Receptacles have a drawer that tips out while the SafeSmoker Receptacle’s tube detaches from the base to access the cigarette butt waste. Rubbermaid Infinity Wall-Mount Receptacles hold 1,000 cigarettes and has a low profile while their High-Capacity unit has a weighted base to eliminate tip-over and can handle 8,000 butts.
Positioning a smoking receptacle either at entrances to your building or in your designated smoking area helps you to keep your facility looking tidy.
-BDust
Filed under: Outdoor Smoking Policy, Smoking Areas, Workplace Smoking Policy | Tagged: ash receptacles, cigarette butt receptacles, designated smoking areas, no smoking, non-smoking, smoke-free, smoking areas, smoking receptacles | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 19, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
Quitting smoking has many benefits. In addition to lowering the risk of lung cancer, heart attack, stroke and other chronic lung diseases, you may also lower your health insurance rates. You won’t be spending at least $5 on a pack of cigarettes. Your clothes won’t reek of smoke.
Here are some ways to encourage your team to quit.
Does your company offer a smoking cessation plan? Talk to your HR department about an Employee Assistance Program. Maybe the company can offer incentives, such as gift certificates or pizza, to keep people motivated.
Start a support group to try to quit smoking together. Success rates improve if you have people behind your attempt to quit. Participate in the Great American Smoke-Out sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It is held annually the third week of November.
Change your habit of taking a smoke break. Try replacing it with another activity. Grab a magazine, crossword puzzle, or book to give you something else to do with your hands. Walk around the parking lot and get some fresh air and exercise.
Reduce your need to smoke when you are stressed. If your job permits, take a quick break. Walk away and clear your head. Take a moment and do some deep breathing exercises.
Some additional resources are available online:
Smokefree.gov
Helpguide.org
American Cancer Society’s Guide to Quit Smoking
Michigan’s Workplace Smoking Cessation Implementation Suggestions
Whichever path you choose, you will feel better for it.
-BDust
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: quit smoking, smoking cessation program, smoking in the workplace, smoking policy, stop smoking, Workplace Smoking Policy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 9, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
So you need to post smoking policy signs around your building that best express your company’s or the state’s regulations about where your employees or visitors are allowed to light up. How do you go about selecting the best sign or label?
First, you need to know what your company’s smoking policy is. Are you governed by the state no smoking laws, municipal legislation or your human resources department? Do you have a lot of Spanish-speaking employees? Signs are available in a multitude of wordings and colors to convey this to your visitors and employees.
Second, where do you need to post these signs? Around building entrances or ventilation intakes? Or do you have flammable materials you need to protect?
There are many sign options that can work in any facility or work environment. If your signs are going to be posted on glass, a good choice would be two-sided labels. These have wording on both sides so they can be read from both inside and outside of your facility. Another thing to consider is if they need to withstand weather. For this, you can select an aluminum substrate that won’t rust. Office Décor signs are designed to fit into any professional environment. The acrylic base is durable and resists tampering.
Whether you are looking to post your signs in a factory or office-like setting, Emedco can provide you with all of your smoking policy signs and labels.
-BDust
Filed under: State Smoking Laws, Workplace Smoking Policy | Tagged: municipal smoking bans, smoking, smoking ban, state smoking law, tobacco-free, Workplace Smoking Policy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 1, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
On March 22, the California State Assembly passed a bill to ban smoking at state parks and beaches. Although it hasn’t been signed by the governor yet, California would have the most far-reaching smoking ban in the nation. They are part of a growing movement to ban smoking on state land in an attempt to reduce pollution and litter, reduce health hazards and decrease the chances of wildfires.
As of April 1st, 2010, 97 municipalities have enacted smoke-free beach laws that specify all city beaches and/or specifically named city beaches must be smoke free. Parks, campgrounds and playgrounds are also covered by some smoking bans. Check No-Smoke.org to see if your local beach is covered by a smoking ban.
Some Florida municipalities have considered similar ordinances but are being investigated to see if they are pre-empted by the state’s smoking laws. State regulations of where smoking is permitted can sometimes take precedence over municipal laws or be the baseline law.
It may be tougher for these laws to be enforced though, especially with widespread state budget deficits. New York State alone is recommending closing or reducing hours at dozens of state parks to help close the budget gap.
Click here to read California’s State Beaches and Parks Smoking Ban legislation.
-BDust
Filed under: Outdoor Smoking Policy, State Smoking Laws | Tagged: California State Beaches and Parks Smoking ban, clean outdoor air act, municipal smoking bans, smoking ban, smoking policy, state smoking bans | Leave a Comment »
Posted on March 24, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
On May 1, 2010, Michigan’s Dr. Ron Davis Law takes effect, banning smoking statewide in most public places. It replaces Michigan’s 1987 “Clean Indoor Air Act” that generally prohibits smoking only in schools, childcare facilities and healthcare facilities.
This new law prohibits smoking in public places and food service establishments, including outdoor patios where food or drinks are intended to be served and/or consumed. Under the new law a public place is defined as (i) an enclosed indoor area owned or operated by a state or local government agency and used by the general public; (ii) an enclosed indoor area used by the general public and is an educational facility, a home for the aged, a nursing home, hospice or hospital long-term care unit, auditorium, arena, theater, museum, concert hall or any other facility during the period of its use for a performance or exhibit of the arts; (iii) any place of employment. Hotel and motel guest rooms are included in the ban.
Exemptions to the law are cigar bars, casinos, company vehicles including commercial trucks, retail tobacco stores and private home offices.
Regulations specify that “No Smoking” signs or the “international no smoking symbols” are to be clearly and conspicuously posted at the entrances to and in every building or other area where smoking is prohibited under this law.
Fines for those who do not comply start at $100 for the first violation and escalate to $500 for subsequent violations.
-Beverly Dust
Filed under: State Smoking Laws, Workplace Smoking Policy | Tagged: clean indoor air act, michigan, michigan smoke free law, no smoking, ron davis smoke-free air law, smoke free workplace, smoking ban, state smoking law, tobacco-free | Leave a Comment »
Posted on March 12, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
It’s hard enough these days to be a college student, what with making your own decisions, greater workload and higher tuition bills. Add in the pressure to conform with your new classmates and you have a recipe for a young adult to become a smoker.
Well, the skies may be clearing. More and more campuses are thinking about and going smoke-free. Just since the beginning of this month, Vassar and Boise State are going smoke-free and the state of Oklahoma is working on a proposal to ban smoking on all public colleges and universities in the state.
This, hopefully, will keep our young people from becoming smokers in the first place.
Filed under: Workplace Smoking Policy | Tagged: campus smoking, no smoking, smoke-free, university smoking policy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 23, 2010 by Emedco's Safety Information Department
Wisconsin will soon enact changes to it’s Clean Indoor Air Act to limit smoking in inpatient health care facilities, including nursing homes. Facilities will either be able to have an outdoor designated smoking area or be entirely smoke-free.
Outdoor designated smoking areas are often required to: (1) have signs posted designating the area as a smoking area, (2) be easily accessible from the facility, (3) have a cover or be protected from the weather/wind, and (4) have noncombustible ashtrays and metal containers with self-closing covers for them to be emptied into.
Prevent your facility free from being fined and keep your employees informed of your workplace smoking policy by following your state’s Clean Indoor Air Act.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
