Smoking on Tamworth Campus

Tamworth Campus is committed to ensuring that its students, staff, contractors and visitors are not exposed to tobacco smoke in its workplaces including its buildings, grounds and vehicles. In the interest of having a healthy workforce, staff who smoke are provided with assistance to quit smoking. Accordingly, managers and supervisors shall promote and ensure compliance with the Smoking Policy. All staff, students, contractors and visitors shall abide by the provisions of the policy and report all breaches in accordance with the relevant section herein.

Objective

There is no legal obligation to provide designated smoking areas however there are legal obligations to ensure that work and public areas are safe for all who inhabit them.

It is therefore important for staff and supervisors to understand the reasons for strengthening of the campus approach to smoking onsite. Some of the compelling and mandatory facts which support the approach include;

Health reasons - Long term exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) can cause heart disease and lung cancer. Exposure to ETS can initiate asthma attacks in adults and cause asthma in children. Respiratory symptoms in adults commonly associated with passive smoking include sore throat and hoarseness, nasal symptoms, eye irritation, chronic cough and chronic phlegm. Passive smoking occurs when people breathe in ETS. ETS is a combination of sidestream smoke from the end of lit cigarettes and exhaled mainstream smoke. ETS is similar in composition to the mainstream smoke, which has been estimated to contain over 4000 chemical compounds, including 43 known carcinogens. Comprehensive reviews of the scientific data on passive smoking can be found at the National Health and Medical Research Council website.
Safeguard and fulfil the safety and health of staff, students, contractors and visitors in accordance with obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (OHS Act 2000) and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 to provide a safe working and learning environment.
Legal reasons - There have been a number of legal precedents in which employees who have suffered passive smoking-related illness as a result of exposure to ETS in their workplaces have received substantial damages. In one such case of Sharp vs Port Kembla RSL Club, a NSW Supreme Court Jury found that exposure to tobacco smoke at work had caused throat cancer in a former employee of the Club and awarded her substantial damages. The employer was found to be negligent in not acting to prevent or control passive smoking in the workplace. This case reinforces the duty of employers to prevent exposure to ETS in the workplace.
(The Cancer Council NSW publication, "When smoke gets in your eyes ... nose, throat, lungs and bloodstream - A Guide to Passive Smoking and the Law in NSW", comprises a comprehensive overview of the legal implications of passive smoking. Click here to order a free copy.
The inadequacy of air conditioning and filtering systems - Whilst some systems can remove the visible smoke, none are capable of removing all particulate matter and gaseous components of ETS.
Reduce litter on campus and maintain an attractive environment for all staff, students, contractors and visitors to enjoy and be proud of.
Meet community expectations - Tamworth Campus is committed to service to the community. In order to meet this goal the Campus seeks to act responsibly and ethically as a community member.

Procedure

Smoking in all Campus buildings, enclosed spaces, outside areas adjoining buildings eg. paved areas and seating the vicinity of air intakes, building entrances, external doors and windows that are regularly opened and motor vehicles is prohibited.
All areas of the Campus are designated NON SMOKING with the exception of the areas indicated on the map located below. Copies of this map are located on all campus noticeboards and will be included at the directory signs at each entrance to the Campus.
Smoking is prohibited in all Campus Fleet vehicles.

Responsibility

Staff members, including those who supervise other staff or students, students, contractors and other visitors to the Campus, all have responsibilities for implementing this procedure.

Staff

Members of staff are required to;

refrain from smoking indoors and in outdoor areas where smoking is banned under this procedure.
direct people found smoking in non smoking designated places to cease smoking or move to a smoking designated area, and inform them that if they continue to smoke in the area they are committing an offence; if smokers do not cooperate with the direction, contact the Campus Operations Manager.
if working in a supervisory or managerial capacity in relation to other staff, to students or to visitors, ensure that the people in their area of authority are informed and comply with the procedure
ensure information for prospective students, orientations and inductions include detail of the Tamworth Campus smoking procedure.

Students, Contractors and Other Visitors

All non-employees who use the campus premises are required to;

refrain from smoking indoors and in all outdoor areas except those designated as smoking areas.
cooperate with staff directions in relation to smoking in non designated smoking areas.

Other Implementation Provisions

The procedure will be published using numerous methods to bring it to the attention of staff, students, prospective students and visitors, some of which include;

post appropriate signage to remind people not to smoke in smoke-free areas
make available quit smoking literature and information for staff and students wishing to quit smoking
investigate and take action concerning breaches of the procedure in terms of Student Discipline and Staff Code of Conduct.
review the procedure periodically.

Breaches of Smoking Procedure

All staff, students, contractors and visitors shall have the right to report breaches to Head Teachers, Managers or Supervisors or the Campus Operations Manager.
Staff at all levels are encouraged to advise offenders of the Campus Smoking Procedure and request that they only smoke in areas where smoking is permitted.
Reports of repeated breaches of the procedure will be investigated and managed by the Head Teacher, Manager or Supervisor or Campus Operations Manager in accordance with the relevant Campus disciplinary procedures.

The new procedure will commence as of Monday 9 February 2009, coverage extends to all areas of the Tamworth Campus.