The general view expressed in forum discussions amongst the professional body, the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), is that any risk assessment today must find that smoking in an indoor workplace is in breach of the general requirement to provide a safe working environment. ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) has calculated that each year in the UK, about 600 lung cancer deaths and up to 12,000 cases of heart disease in non-smokers can be attributed to passive smoking.

In the UK, employers, managers and those in control of no-smoking premises, need to display no-smoking notices and to take reasonable measures to ensure that staff, customers, members and visitors are aware of the new law banning smoking in public and ensure that they do not smoke on their premises.

We recommend the following minimum action:

• Displaying no-smoking notices (as specified in the legislation and guidance) so that they are clearly visible to all employees, customers and visitors while they are on the premises or approaching them
• Developing and implementing a smoke-free policy
• Removing all ashtrays from premises
• Informing anyone smoking that he/she is committing an offence and requesting that they extinguish their smoking material immediately or leave and refusing them service (if your business provides a service for customers or members)

Rooms in the workplace where smokers can gather indoors to smoke need to be phased out. Areas where workers or customers can smoke need to be outdoor smoking areas sited away from doors, pedestrian routes, windows that may be opened during fine weather, ventilation intakes and any other places where there might be a possibility of smoke being drawn into the buildings or drifting into pedestrian accesses.

An example of a Smoke Free Workplace policy is set out in the next section titled, 'Draft smoke free workplace policy'. We suggest that you show it and discuss it with your workforce; if you decide to adopt it, one similar to it will be included within your finished Health and Safety Policy.

An example of a draft smoke free workplace policy is the following:

Smoking is prohibited throughout the entire workplace with no exceptions. This includes company vehicles. This policy applies to all workers, consultants, contractors, customers or members and visitors.

[If there are external areas where employees and customers can smoke, these should comply with the law and can be outlined here.]

Overall responsibility for policy implementation and review rests with [name (the manager or person in control of the premises)]. All staff are obliged to adhere to, and facilitate the implementation of the policy.

The person named above shall inform all existing employees, consultants and contractors of the policy and their role in the implementation and monitoring of the policy. They will also have to give all new personnel a copy of the policy on recruitment/induction. Appropriate 'No smoking' signs will be clearly displayed at the entrances to and within the premises.

Local disciplinary procedures will be followed if a worker does not comply with this policy. Those who do not comply with the smoking law are also liable to a fixed penalty fine and possible criminal prosecution.

Support for smokers who want to stop will be provided.