Barstaff in health risk from smoking in pubs

Smoke research sparks fears of LA-style ban to protect employees

Fears have intensified that smoking in pubs could be restricted after research proved employees inhale half a cigarette's worth of smoke during an average seven-hour shift.

A new study by Maurice Mulcahy, an environmental health officer in Ireland, used samples of pub workers' saliva to see how much smoke was being inhaled.

The research concluded that workers were inhaling a significant amount of smoke.

The news comes amid months of campaigning by anti-smoking activists for the Government to implement a Los Angeles-style ban on smoking in the workplace in a bid to protect employees.

A spokesman for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health told thePublican.com that it would now be urging health officials and the Government to implement a complete ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants in order to protect employees and non-smoking customers.

Mr Mulcahy said that ventilation systems were sub-standard in most bars and suggested that more could be done to ensure that there were at least 12 fresh air changes an hour.

The trade is worried that it could lose up to 41 per cent of its trade if a complete ban is implemented, according to the Publican's Market Report survey of 1,000 licensees.

But, anti-smoking activists say that pubs are currently only catering for a third of the UK population (See Trade hits back at smoking criticism (06 September 2001)for full article).

Meanwhile, Oliver Griffiths, of clean air initiative Atmosphere Improves Results, said that many pubs were already catering for non-smokers but were failing to publicise no-smoking areas.

He urged licensees to sign up to the trade's voluntary charter on smoking which recommends the use of signage, ventilation and no-smoking areas to improve the atmosphere in pubs.

Despite the threat of a ban on smoking in pubs, the industry is optimistic that it is taking necessary steps avert any action. Read our feature on air quality.