Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Tobacco smoke is a leading source of pollution in most indoor air environments. Worksites are especially affected by secondhand smoke. Classified as a Group A carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tobacco smoke contains more than 40 chemicals known to cause cancer. In workplaces that permit smoking, 59.2 percent of nonsmoking employees report discomfort from secondhand smoke. Even 15 percent of smoking employees report some degree of discomfort from secondhand smoke.

Smoking in the workplace produces hidden costs to employers and their employees. Research has shown that smoking causes illness, missed workdays, and decreased productivity. Smokers are absent 50 percent more often than nonsmokers, resulting in temporary replacements and lower productivity. There may be morale problems among working employees who must cope with increased work problems because of absent coworkers. Michigan employers spend $2.2 billion annually for illness and lost productivity due to tobacco smoke, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health. For each worker who smokes, employers pay over $1,300 per year more in health care costs, $45 per person per year for accidental injury and worker’s compensation and 25 to 35 percent higher premiums for fire insurance. These costs do not include diseases caused by secondhand smoke to nonsmokers.

It is good business to provide a safe workplace. The EPA has designated secondhand smoke unsafe. Employers can restrict smoking in the workplace, ban it entirely or limit it to a separate ventilated area. For more information on developing a smokefree worksite policy call the Genesee County Health Department at (810) 257-3612.