Placed on hospital committee

[fgoff]

Hey! I was placed on the hopital wide committee for the Tobacco Free Campus.

I was just wondering if anyone has been at a p;ace of employment when this type of policy was started???

If so would you mind sharing what types of activities/education was give prior to implementation?

We are looking at a pre survey to see how many people will be affected by the change and what types of services they feel they will need????

Any other ideas????

Thanks!

fgoff

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Well...I wasn't any part of the committee, but was around during the "event" induction (as a clinical instructor, not a hospital employee).

They did conduct surveys and entertained, even invited, any and all comments prior to making their plan.

The plan was then talked about every step of the way in the hospital newletter each and evey month from the beginning of the planning phase, so no one was surprised by anything.

Posters where placed EVERYWHERE (very professionally done, appealing to customers and staff) to announce the big change, the well-known health benefits, and what the hospital was doing as far as staff support for those who did smoke). It was like a big event...treated like a celebration.

They offered free tobacco cessation classes, individual counseling, and/or nicotene replacement in different forms, beginning months prior to the event.

New employee/student orientation began talking about rules regarding any tobacco on campus, and/or even being allowed to carry any odor of tobacco smoke. No smoking in the parking lot or within view of campus property. Any smoke odor would mean being sent home...not tolerated at all.

If I can remember anything else, I'd add later.

Good luck!

[Balder_LPN, LPN]

No smoking in the parking lot or within view of campus property.

I understand the whole no smoking campus thing and support it wholeheartedly (and I am a smoker). but no smoking within view of the campus? if you fired someone for a legal activity conducted while on an unpaid break, off the employers property, I think the employer may have a big lawsuit.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

I understand the whole no smoking campus thing and support it wholeheartedly (and I am a smoker). but no smoking within view of the campus? if you fired someone for a legal activity conducted while on an unpaid break, off the employers property, I think the employer may have a big lawsuit.

Well, that is the policy...I don't know if there have been challenges to legality or if they have taken anyone to task for infractions. This info is all built into our students clinical orientation too.

[fgoff]

Our policy only addresses hospital grounds. Including a private vech. in the parking lot. We have not addressed odors.

Is this something we should be more concerned over????

Thanks!!

fgoff

[dekatn]

I'm not trying to start a war here so please don't flame me, I'm just pointing out another opinion and we know opinions are like -----, everybody's got one. Do people get sent home for other offensive odors, such as perfume, hairspray, I have smelled some awful shampoo odors where people have washed their hair before coming to work, what about the laundry detergent and fabric softener you use to wash your clothes in? Please don't flame me, I'm just saying that some people are sensitive to smoke, others to perfumes and other odors. As someone mentioned in another post, smoking is still legal, why? I don't know. If you are going to ban something the way smoking is being banned, why not just make it illegal? To send someone home because they have a smoke odor, to me that is walking a fine line. I work with some smokers and yes, I can tell if they have been out to smoke recently, but the odor does fade, or maybe I just get used to it. I don't know. Who determines what is a "pleasant odor" and what is "offensive"?

[loriangel14, RN]

Regarding the smell of perfumes and hygiene products, the hospital I am doing my consolidation at(and any others I have been to for school) also have a policy against scented products in the workplace such as deodorant and body lotions. I did have a one classmate who got sent home for wearing body scent.Smoking is not allowed on the hospital property either.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Oh, yes...I neglected to include anything but tobacco related stuff, but it is against policy to "smell like anything" really.

Again, I don't know if anyone has suffered any consequeces, but that would be interesting to know. I hesitate to dig in on this, as I am a clinical instructor and not a hospital employee, and am just thankful that we have such an awesome clinical site for our students (a Magnet hospital, in fact!).

Signed,

making no waves