Okaloosa County BOCC — June 21, 2016 — BCC Tobacco Free Policy — reading text

Tobacco Policies Effective October 1, 2016, Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners is implementing a tobacco- free policy for all employees in order to provide a clean, healthy, productive, and safe environment for all. The use of tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco, result in higher worker absenteeism due to respiratory disease, lower productivity, increased health insurance rates, and increased liability claims for diseases related to exposure to secondhand smoke. I. Policy The use of tobacco is prohibited on Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners property at all times, including entryways and exits to buildings, parking lots, job sites and in employee owned or leased vehicles. This policy is in effect during work hours and will apply to: • All Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners’ employees on all shifts • Volunteers, contingent workers, and contractors Smoking or other use of tobacco or tobacco products (including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, dip, snuff, pipes, electronic nicotine delivery devices such as e-cigarettes etc.) is strictly prohibited on all Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners’ facilities, grounds and jobsites. All county-owned or county-leased vehicles are designated as tobacco-free areas. With the exception of designated smoking areas for the public located at the Airports, Convention Center and Courthouses, there will be no designated smoking areas, since no level of tobacco use is considered to be safe. II. Communication of Policy Copies of this policy shall be distributed to all current and future employees, posted on the premises, on the County’s intranet, and available for inspection upon request. III. Responsibilities related to Policy a. Responsibilities of employees: Adherence to the tobacco free grounds policy cited above is the responsibility of Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners’ employees. Compliance with this policy is mandatory and employees who do not conform to this policy will be subject to corrective action. Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners shall not retaliate in any manner against any employee who reports a violation of this policy. b. Responsibilities of supervisors: Supervisors will ensure that all employees are notified of the new tobacco policies and are provided a copy of the policy. Any person who observes violations of the policy may report these violations to a supervisor. The supervisor will discuss the violation with the employee and take appropriate corrective action. Standard corrective actions including disciplinary action will apply to violations of the policy. Revised: June 3, 2016 IV. Resources for tobacco users Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners supports and encourages employees’ efforts to beat nicotine dependence. Employees who want to quit tobacco are encouraged to use Tobacco Free Florida’s 3 Ways to Quit, a set of free services to help tobacco users quit. These services are available:  Over the phone: Call the toll-free Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW  Online: Enroll for the online Web Coach program at www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/webcoach  In person: Go to www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/ahec or call 1-877-848-6696 to register for face-to-face help in a group setting through Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network This policy is being announced in advance in order to give tobacco users time to adapt to its restrictions and to facilitate a smooth transition to a tobacco free environment. Those employees who use tobacco and would like to take this opportunity to quit are invited to participate in the cessation programs being offered by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners. The success of this policy will depend on the thoughtfulness, consideration, and cooperation of tobacco users and non-tobacco users. All employees share in the responsibility for adhering to and enforcing this policy. Questions about this policy should be directed to Risk Management at (850) 689-5977. Revised: June 3, 2016