Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Smoking of the employees and their attitudes toward smoking were studied by a questionnaire study in 1997, two years after the implementation of new tobacco control legislation. The new legislation restricted smoking ti designated smoking rooms in all workplaces. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study was performed as a part of a major project on working capacity in small workplaces. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health approached various occupational health service providers asking them to find workplaces of less than 50 employees representing different sectors. All participating workplaces in the study comply with European Union SME definition (96/280/EC). The study comprised 281 workplaces with 9422 employees who all received the questionnaire through their occupational health service providers. RESULTS: Altogether 5336 (57%) of the questionnaires were returned. Of the respondents 66% were men and 34% were women. Of men 37% and of women 29% smoked daily. The largest smoking prevalences were found in the youngest age group (15-29 years), in which 43% of men and 34% of women smoked daily. Altogether 17% of men and 6% of women were exposed to tobacco smoke at work more than 4 hours daily. Of all employees 21% said smoking is allowed at their work, and 36% were in favour of smokefree workplaces. DISCUSSION: In the current study smoking prevalence among the employees was very high. It exceeded clearly the prevalence among general population. The exposure to tobacco smoke at work, especially prolonged daily exposure, was also remarkably high regardless of new tobacco control legislation from 1995. The most important finding of the present study was that legislation has not proved to be effective in abolishing passive smoking in small workplaces. Other studies, however, have shown very good situation in large and medium-sized workplaces.

Keywords

Smoking, Small workplaces, Legislation

Contact

Heloma Antero

Institution

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

Postaddress

Arinatie 3

City

FIN-00370 Helsinki

Country

Finland

E-mail

ahel@occuphealth.fi

E-mail

claesg@enk.ks.se

Phone

+ 358 9 47471

Fax

+ 358 9 4747 985