Smoke-Free Workplace Policy

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POLICIES FOR OUR PEOPLE 4.4

SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE

OUR APPROACH

Our aim is to provide a safe and healthy working environment, and to encourage people to give up smoking.

New legislation means that smoking is not allowed in any Tesco building. Smoking in any commercial vehicle such as a Tesco van or lorry or dotcom van is also prohibited. This is to encourage our staff to give up smoking by giving them less opportunity to smoke.

Smoking is permitted in a private vehicle and in company cars (so long as the driver is alone).

We understand that many of our staff are smokers, and we want to encourage them to stop smoking. We will do this by providing information on support available, to anyone who wants to quit.

Guidelines for staff who want to smoke

* Smoking is not allowed inside any Tesco building.

* Smoking is not permitted in the Yard, delivery areas or Petrol filling station forecourts
   because of the increased ?re, safety, and security risks.

* Staff who wish to smoke outside the building, may not smoke around the entrance or
   exit to Tesco buildings or shopping malls, or congregate in groups.

* Cigarette butts, spent matches and empty boxes must be disposed of carefully in
   bins, as littering is an offence.

* Employees may spend all or part of their break off the premises, but should inform
   their line manager for health and safety reasons.

* Breaks should not be extended to accommodate any additional time that may be
   required for smoking.

* When staff leave work to smoke they do so at their own risk and are responsible for
   their own actions. They should find a safe place to smoke.

* Staff should wash their hands after smoking and before returning to work.

* Anyone who works in the Fresh Food area must remove their hats. and aprons and
   leave them in an appropriate storage area.

Process for managing staff who do not follow these guidelines

Failure to follow the Smoke-Free Workplace policy will be treated as a serious breach of company discipline and employees will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Smoking anywhere on the premises will be considered a gross misconduct offence.

Please see the Duty Manager Guidelines (Stores) for advice on how to manage customers or visitors who do not follow the guidelines.

Responsibilities

The Duty Manager (or the Facilities Manager for a Head Of?ce site) is legally responsible for ensuring the whole site complies with health and safety requirements, and this includes the prohibition on smoking in the workplace. The Duty Manager must ensure that no-one smokes on site, and this includes customers and visitors as well as staff (please see Conflict Resolution training (Stores) for guidance). However, in the event of non compliance, any or all of the parties involved may be prosecuted.

Duty Managers who are found to be negligent in enforcing the smoking ban may be liable to disciplinary action.

Electric Cigarettes

E-cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy cigarette, or electric cigarettes may not be used/smoked anywhere on the premises, except in a designated smoking zone.

We want to encourage our staff to give up a harmful habit that damages their health, and although cited as an aid to giving up smoking, medical opinion is divided on the use of electric cigarettes. The NHS has not yet accepted that they are safe to use as a smoking cessation product. in addition, several types of replacement cigarettes omit a vapour that can still be unpleasant for other employees.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

The legislation prohibits smoking in any substantially enclosed public building, and therefore applies to all businesses and public buildings across the UK with very few exceptions.

Failure to comply with the law is a criminal offence. individuals may be fined a fixed penalty of £50 for smoking on no-smoking premises. The Duty Manager (or the Facilities Manager for a Head Office site) can also be fined £200 for allowing others to smoke on no-smoking premises, or for failing to display no-smoking signs. Refusal or failure to pay may result in prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.