Media release: June 30, 2007
Employees and health groups have called on
state and territory governments to make all working areas safely smokefree,
whatever their enclosure.
“Smoke
bans in totally enclosed areas of licensed venues in NSW and Victoria coming
into force this weekend (Vic
July 1, NSW July 2)
are a welcome step forward” says
Stafford Sanders, co-ordinator of the SmokeFree Australia coalition of employee
and health groups.
“But
these changes,” he warns, “while ending smoking in totally enclosed areas,
still leave many workers dangerously exposed to known harmful smoke levels in
‘outdoor’ settings, some in fact mostly enclosed.”
SmokeFree
Australia has urged all governments to catch up urgently with Queensland, where
all smoking areas must be separate and unserviced.
Says
Stafford Sanders: “Proper
protection for barworkers, including entertainers, is long overdue. We’ve been
asking for at least four years for these areas to be unserviced. Hospitality
workers should already be protected under occupational safety laws, but
WorkCover authorities have been turning a selective blind eye to this toxic
workplace hazard.
“Governments
could change this easily by legislating to the effect that no-one is required to
work in any area where smoking is occurring.
“Smokefree
laws should also ensure the prevention of smoke drift from smoking into
non-smoking areas, both within the venue and in working areas of adjacent
premises.
“It’s
not good enough to say ‘wait and see’ – since any exposure to secondhand
smoke is harmful, and since we know these areas will be smoky, more waiting will
affect the health of more workers and threaten the preventable loss of more
lives.
“This
danger cannot be safely addressed by changing the percentage of enclosure. Did
we say with asbestos, ‘OK, just knock out some wall or ceiling and shove the
workers back into the stuff and we’ll see how it goes?
“We
ask all governments to meet with us urgently to discuss how the present unsafe
loopholes can be closed, and how all smoking areas might be made fully separate
and unserviced without further delay. Members of our coalition would appreciate
active consultation, since we are representing the people who are most at risk,
and who have been under-represented in negotiations to date.
“If
the hospitality and gambling lobby wants more time, we ask them which letter of
O,H and S it’s taken them thirteen years to understand? Because that’s how
long the NSW government has been talking with them about getting pubs smokefree
- and the job is still not finished.”
Comment:
Stafford Sanders, SmokeFree Australia
ph. (02) 9334-1823 m.
0412-070-194
* SmokeFree Australia coalition
for clean safe workplaces:
Liquor,
Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union; Musicians’ Union of Australia; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance; Australian Council of
Trade Unions; Action on Smoking and Health Australia; The Cancer Council
Australia; National Heart Foundation of Australia; Australian Council on Smoking
and Health; Non-Smokers’ Movement of Australia; Australian Medical
Association; Asthma and Allergy Research Institute.