For the employee, there are many benefits of having a Tobacco Free Campus.

• helps create a safe, healthy and clean workplace;
• supports current smokers to reduce or quit smoking;
• protects employees from being exposed to second-hand smoke – a known cause of ill health;
• provides clarity to all employees about tobacco use on campus.

A tobacco free campus has the following benefits for an employer

• helps create a safe, healthy workplace;
• leads to a healthier workforce with less sick leave and increased productivity, by helping smokers quit smoking;
• reduces tension between smoking and non-smoking staff concerning “smoke-breaks”;
• positions the organisation as one caring for the health of employees;
• eliminates the need for designated smoking areas;
• eradicates tobacco related litter;
• provides clarity to all employees and visitors about tobacco use on campus;
• reflects the social norm that smoking is a serious issue that warrants appropriate controls.

This Tobacco Free Campus Toolkit has been developed to:

• help change social norms around tobacco use;
• protect and improve the health, safety and welfare of employees, service users, visitors, contractors and the wider community;
• create a supportive environment that encourages employees to stop smoking;
• support management and staff in the implementation of tobacco free campuses across the organisation;
• provide clarity to employees on their role in the implementation of a tobacco free campus, thereby promoting and supporting healthier lifestyles.

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.

Download the Tobacco Free Policy here.

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.