Vaping in the workplace

[tizerbelle]

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread but I was on a HR site today at work and came across a new discussion article about e-cigs and the workplace.

Basically the question asked was what the legal position was with e-cigs in the workplace and how should they (as a company) deal with it. Within the article responses were given by partners in 2 seperate employment law firms.

The first response was basically agree no apparent health and safety issues but other people might assume they were real cigarettes and so start smoking normal cigarettes on site. This solicitor recommended companies treat e-cigs in the same way as analogues - i.e. ban them.

The second reply referred to the definition of smoking in the health act 2006 and basically decided that e-cigs were probably covered by the act because they were smoking something "other than tobacco" and it was heated so it must have been lit in some way so it was probably illegal to use e-cigs.

So I decided to put my tuppence in and this is how I responded:

Firstly, not all types of e-cigs (and there are many) look like traditional cigarettes or have an end that glows when in use.

The e-cig is not covered by the UK smoking ban. It does not contain tobacco; it is not "lit" (no flame to ignite) and it does not produce smoke. In fact it is not referred to as smoking but "vaping".

The liquid used in an e-cig is a propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine base to which is added food flavourings and if required liquid nicotine - not all users of e-cigs actually use a liquid with nicotine in it.

When the liquid is drawn over a heated coil in the e-cig, it simply put, boils and turns to a steam vapour (think water, kettle and steam) that the user inhales. There is no tar, carbon monoxide or other nasties that are in the traditional cigarette and there is no passive smoking.

It is the tobacco and other additives in traditional cigarettes that cause the problems for both smokers and passive smokers. Nicotine in itself is not a known carcinogen and in fact is found naturally in many vegetables and as I understand it is currently undergoing trials for medical application in the fight against obesity.

Naturally, employers can make their own policies about whether to allow the use of e-cigs in the workplace but bear in mind that if employees can vape at their workplace you don't have the issue of unproductivity that smoking breaks cause, nor the annoyance/bickering by some non-smokers that their smoking colleagues are being paid to smoke not work.

Why not do some research and talk to your employees that vape to find out more about vaping and the use of e-cigs (there are a number of UK based vaping forums) and then discuss with all employees what policy they want?

We do currently allow the use of e-cigs in our workplaces and although this is a new policy decision, it is working well, there have been no complaints by employees (smokers or non-smokers) who do not vape, in fact many of them are extremely interested and keen to learn more about it and the smokers who vape are to be found at their desks and working far more often than they were before. It also means there isn't the untidy/unsightly huddle of smokers outside the work-premises.

Granted the last paragraph is a played up a bit - we allowed e-cigs last Friday cos I asked and I'm the only smoker on site!

But did I do/write the right thing? What would you have said?

[Jemima]

Well you convinced me I shall allow vapeing in my workplace forthwith! lol

You did pritty well Tizer put forward a really good arguement and included lots of information there too. Way better than I could of done

[tizerbelle]

Thanks Jemima, that's one vote of confidence. I hope others feel the same way. I just read the article and kind of went off on one, it's not even what I was supposd to be on the site for but I couldn't ignore the apparent ignorance of the "legal" answers

[foxy9212]

Excellent response Tizerbelle. One thing I would point out is that the vapour is not just the steam from heated liquid, it is vapour produced from heating glycol (PG, VG etc.) as is the case with fog machines found in pubs, clubs, shows and the like. As the nicotine content is absorbed immediately, there is no evidence that the exhaled vapour contains anything harmful at all. It is the burning of tobacco and accompanying additives that is so harmful - there is no burning of tobacco associated with the e-cig; nicotine is a byproduct of Tobacco but is not a carcinogen.

Fox

[Sue (AKA ) milosmum]

Well done Tizer!

[tizerbelle]

Oct 3, 2011 17:49:12 GMT @foxy9212 said:

Excellent response Tizerbelle. One thing I would point out is that the vapour is not just the steam from heated liquid, it is vapour produced from heating glycol (PG, VG etc.) as is the case with fog machines found in pubs, clubs, shows and the like. As the nicotine content is absorbed immediately, there is no evidence that the exhaled vapour contains anything harmful at all. It is the burning of tobacco and accompanying additives that is so harmful - there is no burning of tobacco associated with the e-cig; nicotine is a byproduct of Tobacco but is not a carcinogen.

Fox

Thanks Foxy, I shall bear all that in mind for future.

[HeadHunter]

Hi Tizerbelle...I thought that it was succinct, concise and well put across

Foxy's point is well made too, I for one had not thought of it that way, as a fog machine type vapour which is harmless and of no consequence to health (and safety)

[foxy9212]

Oct 3, 2011 17:52:52 GMT tizerbelle said:

Oct 3, 2011 17:49:12 GMT @foxy9212 said:

Excellent response Tizerbelle. One thing I would point out is that the vapour is not just the steam from heated liquid, it is vapour produced from heating glycol (PG, VG etc.) as is the case with fog machines found in pubs, clubs, shows and the like. As the nicotine content is absorbed immediately, there is no evidence that the exhaled vapour contains anything harmful at all. It is the burning of tobacco and accompanying additives that is so harmful - there is no burning of tobacco associated with the e-cig; nicotine is a byproduct of Tobacco but is not a carcinogen.

Fox

Thanks Foxy, I shall bear all that in mind for future.

Lol Tizer, you make me sound like a schoolmarm!

Fox

[bel]

Very well said Tizer

Just wish i could vape at work

[nicky]

Well i work for the govt, so definately won't be able to!

[monster74]

Well put across. Im going to print it off.

Natzx

[foxy9212]

There is far too much misinformation doing the rounds as regards e-cigs. I was listening to a radio call-in during the wee small hours a couple of mornings back; the topic was "are you a responsible smoker.' One chap rang to say he most certainly was as he "smoked" an electronic cigarette. The presenter had never heard of the e-cig and was informed that it was a device that "burned tobacco" and looked exactly like the real deal. He said it produced 'smoke' just like a cigarette but was "harmless." The presenter was very dubious and suggested he shouldn't use it as it was still "burning tobacco" and, therefore, was likely just as dangerous. I would have loved to have 'phoned in but it was 5.00am and the topic moved on to a different subject.

Fox

[rog]

Excellent reply I'd say, well done

I agree Foxy, there is loads of nonsense talked about e-cigs and I think some of it is deliberate on the part of some organisations (and individuals) who are so blinded by their hatred of analogues that they want to ban anything even related to it - they're crazy prohibitionists you might say!

Personally I can see there might be a valid reasons for some pubs, cafes and the like being nervous about e-cigs in as far as analogue smokers might see the vape and think it's allright for them to light up. However in the workplace employers can educate their staff about vaping, after all they're not just walking in off the streets for a half hour and then disappearing again (like say pub clients) and, as tizerbelle said employers get more productivity from employees who vape instead of taking fag breaks. I'd bet vaping employees take less time off work for illness too given they're healthier so there's every reason for employers to be not just supportive of vaping but to encourage smoking employees to switch over, even if it's just in working hours!

[Anne (fuzzy)]

Oct 3, 2011 17:18:15 GMT tizerbelle said:

The second reply referred to the definition of smoking in the health act 2006 and basically decided that e-cigs were probably covered by the act because they were smoking something other than tobacco and it was heated so it must have been lit in some way so it was probably illegal to use e-cigs.

That's absolutely ridiculous. A light bulb gets hot when it's on, so does an electric heater, toaster, oven ..... the list is long. So if that's the case, all these things should be banned. Uneducated morons, whoever they are.

Great post tizer, well done

[deesigner]

Extremely well put Tizer, great post