Ireland led the way with a ban on smoking in workplaces in March 2004. However, this statutory ban applies only to internal spaces. Many workplaces operate on a larger premises or campus. Where this is the case, Tobacco Free Campuses create a healthier, cleaner environment for all employees, service users and visitors. In addition, Tobacco Free Campuses can help change social norms around tobacco use, treat tobacco addiction as a health and well-being issue, and promote smoking cessation by supporting people to quit smoking.
This Toolkit is designed to help you to develop a Tobacco Free Campus Policy in your organisation.Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the world and accounts for approximately 6,000 deaths on average in Ireland annually. There is a growing recognition throughout the developed world that allowing smoking on workplace campuses significantly undermines healthy workplace policies. The good news is that nearly two out of every three smokers are trying to, planning to or considering quitting. Those wishing to quit need all the support they can get and the creation of a tobacco free campus as part of a healthy work environment has been found to help smokers either to reduce the amount of tobacco they use or to quit completely.
A Tobacco Free Campus Policy applies to all employees, service users, visitors, contractors and other persons who enter the grounds and facilities for any purpose. The policy prohibits smoking anywhere on the campus including doorways, entrances, walkways, roads, and car parks, cars parked on campus grounds, bicycle sheds and bus shelters.
Your organisation will develop its own policy to suit its own needs but this toolkit will help to guide you through the key steps involved in successfully developing and implementing your policy.
Funding to develop the toolkit was kindly provided by Medtronic
This toolkit was based on material developed by the HSE for their Tobacco Free Campus policy.
A selection of smoking cessation materials can be ordered or downloaded from the HSE on HealthPromotion.ie.