New Anti-Smoking Law
Fighting the primary cause of avoidable
death and disease in Ontario
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act
came into force in May 2006. Smoking inside any enclosed workplace is now
illegal.
HOW THE LAW AFFECTS CONSTRUCTION
(bld)Smoking is banned in all enclosed
workplaces.(endbld) An area is “enclosed” if it is covered by a roof and has
more than two walls. This means it’s illegal to smoke in the following areas:
- buildings, whether completed or still under construction
- jobsite trailers
- company vehicles
It is not illegal to smoke:
- outside
- in an outdoor smoking shelter that has no more than two walls
and a roof
- inside a building that has no more than two walls and a roof or
ceiling
- in a partially finished structure without a roof
- in a vehicle enclosed only by a cage or completely open to the
outside air.
Fines are up to $5,000 for an individual
and $10,000 for a company.
The new law is the cornerstone of the
provincial government’s Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.
Do You Smoke?
Tobacco smoke harms the health of both
smoking and non-smoking construction workers.
Workers who are exposed to toxins such as
asbestos, silica and lead increase their chances of getting disease from these
substances by being exposed to smoke. The risk is increased by synergetic
biological mechanisms (hazards working together) or by accidental exposure
through the mouth or skin when smoking with contaminated hands.
Smoking is the primary cause of avoidable
premature death and disease in Ontario (1). Tobacco causes 16,000 deaths in
Ontario every year and costs the economy at lease $1.7 billion annually in
health care.
Tobacco smoke causes lung cancer, heart
disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma and impotence, among
other diseases and conditions.
Web Resources
Smoke-Free Ontario Act
www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statues/English/94t10_e.htm
How the new law affects workplaces
www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/health/smoke_free/legistlation.asp
Ministry of Health Promotion’s Smoke-Free
Ontario web site
www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/health/smoke_free.asp
Health Canada’s “Go Smokefree” web site
www.hc-sc.gov.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/index_e.html
U.S. Surgeon General’s recent report on
secondhand smoke
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/
