Smoking in Company Vehicle

6330654 · December 2007

I currently work for a government agency and we are reviewing our current policies and procedures. Does anyone have a policy in place that speaks to "no smoking in company vehicles"? THX/eg

TXHRGuy · December 2007

If your agency currently permits smoking only in designated areas, then you simply do not designate cars. Be sure that you do communicate that being in a company vehicle is similar to being in the office. Not only can you not smoke in a company vehicle, but you can't commit other acts that violate company policy either (such as harassment or illegal activity).

IrisD · December 2007

You don't say if you work for a federal or state agency.

Many states prohibit smoking in state owned and leased vehicles. Other states prohibit smoking in vehicles when there is more than one employee present because the vehicle is considered a workplace. There are also county and city prohibitions.

Before you go to the trouble of reviewing/rewriting your policy, better check.

JMUHR1 · December 2007

James Madison University allows smoking in vehicles only as outlined in this policy http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/1111.shtml - note under section 5

mguhin · December 2008

I am an HR generalist providing part-time HR support as a consultant to a very small company (45 employees, $10MM annual revenue). Their sales and service reps use their own cars to call on customers. Sometimes they travel some distance to do so since the Rochester location provides coverage across Upstate New York and down into upper,Pennsylvania. Several customer complaints have been received about the smell of tobacco products clinging to the hair, clothing, breath and persons of certain employees upon arrival at these customers' locations. Their managers have asked me what to do about this. I am stumped since these are not company cars. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

fisHRman · December 2008

Hey, you can ban smoking when workers are on company time, as in traveling to call on clients. However, you are going to have a hard time grandfathering this policy to the current employees. Did you read that the first lady of Iowa was caught smoking in a state car (banned by her own husband) and occupied by a state trooper/dri, which made the car a workplace? Even the president elect has a hard time not cheating. Since the workers are off-site, it would be difficut to monitor that they are abiding by your new policy. You know, you can issue any law or policy--the problem is in enforcing it.

cannie · December 2008

And please don't visit my location if you are wearing any fragrance whatsoever, or if you just ate Doritoes, garlic, onions or had a cup of coffee. I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but things are getting a bit ridiculous.

Sheila2008 · December 2008

This is what our policy reads:

Smoking is prohibited in the Company's facility, in the client’s facility, and in the Company vehicles. Employees who smoke may do so only on their meal and rest breaks and only outside the Company's facility, in accordance with the Santa Monica ordinance. Employees who smoke may do so away from the client’s facility.

TXHRGuy · December 2008

[quote user="cannie"]And please don't visit my location if you are wearing any fragrance whatsoever, or if you just ate Doritoes, garlic, onions or had a cup of coffee. I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but things are getting a bit ridiculous.[/quote]

Were it not the case that cigarette smoke was bad for you whether you were allergic to it or not, then your line of reasoning might make sense. However, you are saying that you don't like the line being drawn at an odious and self-destructive personal habit so you push the line back to an odious and non-self-destructive habit such as perfume and then on to foods and then the dreaded coffee breath. Would you condone a policy requiring passing gas while on company time? That follows your reasoning, you just skipped it on the way to the wearing of fragrance.

Speaking for those of us who don't smoke, many of whom have asthma problems or allergies, I have to say that smokers (now distinctly in the minority) simply have to put up with the ever increasing public disgust with the habit, the health hazards, and the stink, which will probably result in pushing smoking into the home as a part time disgusting habit. Now don't get me wrong, because I'm not some sort of overly sensitive pot stirring drama king. I smoke cigars occasionally. Heck, I even like a good bon fire. But I don't light cigars or bon fires at work, in cars, or other places where >my< behavior affects others who have a reasonable expectation not to be so affected.

For the record, I like Doritos, garlic, onions, and coffee. I consume these things on work days, sometimes on company time, and consider my behavior to be pretty innocent. Nobody has ever really complained about those things to me. I can even make a pitch that those things have job relatedness. For most settings outside of the live entertainment industry, I'm not sure I can say the same about perfume and I'm sure I cannot say the same about any tobacco product.

6398675 · July 2009

Could not have said it better myself!

cappy · July 2009

As a Fire Department we ban tobacco use both on and off duty. That is not something that a lot of industries can't get away with. The main difference is that we are affected by both federal and state presumptive illness laws. Lung cancer is included among the illnesses. As such we have legal standing to ban tobacco use. We have a form stating the statute and a place for the employee to sign and witnesses to sign.

reck · July 2009

[quote user="mguhin"]Several customer complaints have been received about the smell of tobacco products clinging to the hair, clothing, breath and persons of certain employees upon arrival at these customers' locations. Their managers have asked me what to do about this. I am stumped since these are not company cars. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. [/quote]

Make this part of the dress code: thou shalt not smell unpleasant or overpowering....

Smoking in Company Vehicle

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