Attitudes towards second hand smoke amongst a highly exposed workforce: Survey of London casino workers

Daykin, N.; Pilkington, Paul; Gray, Selena; Gilmore, A. B.

Abstract

Study objective: To examine knowledge, attitudes and experiences of London casino workers regarding exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) in the workplace. Design: Postal survey of 1568 London casino workers in 25 casinos who were members of the TGWU or GMB Trade Unions. Main results: Of the workers, 559 responded to the survey (36% response), 22% of whom were current smokers. Of the respondents, 71% report being nearly always exposed to heavy levels of SHS at work, and most (65%) want all working areas in their casino to be smoke-free. The majority (78%) are bothered by SHS at work, while 91% have wanted to move away from where they are working because of it. Fifty-seven per cent believe their health has suffered as a result of SHS. Of the workers who smoke at work, 59% believe that they would try to quit smoking if no one was allowed to smoke in the casino. Conclusions: The majority of responders are bothered by SHS, and many are concerned about the health impacts. Most want all working areas in their casino to be smoke-free. Despite difficulties in generalizing from this limited sample, these findings add weight to the argument that the legislation on smoking in public places in England should encompass all workplaces, without exemption. © The Author 2006, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2006
• Journal: Journal of Public Health
• Print ISSN: 1741-3842
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3850
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 104-110
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdi086
• Keywords: second hand smoke, attitudes, workers
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1039873
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdi086
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This paper was the first peer-reviewed publication in the world to examine attitudes towards second hand smoking among casino workers. The paper was especially policy relevant as the UK Parliament was due to vote on smoke-free legislation at the time of its publication. The intended audience for this work was primarily policy makers. The paper was reported in national media, has been utilised by both the anti-smoking group ASH as part of its lobbying activities prior to the vote and by the California Department of Health Services. It is also listed on numerous trade union websites. Contribution 85%.