Impact of a restrictive work site smoking policy on smoking behavior, attitudes and norms
Article Abstract:
Smoking control is the single most common worksite health promotion activity today. Most smoking restrictions are implemented in order to protect the health of nonsmokers, or to comply with government regulations. It is also believed that restricting smoking may help a smoker to quit the habit. A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a restrictive smoking policy on employee smoking behavior, perceived air quality, satisfaction with the policy, and smoking-related norms. The study found that although the policy helped reduce the exposure of nonsmokers to second-hand smoke, there was no indication that it caused smokers to reduce their smoking. Although smoking at work decreased, there was no significant impact on smoking prevalence or intensity, or the proportion of workers attempting to quit smoking. The majority of workers complied with the policy, and nonsmokers reacted favorably to the policy, but smokers' satisfaction with the policy declined over time. There was also a significant reduction in worker conflict related to smoking. The percentage of employees who asked a coworker not to smoke decreased from 30 percent to 16 percent one year after the restrictive policy had been implemented. The effect of the policy was to revise the norms for smoking in the work place. Since there was far less smoking at work after implementation of the policy, there was less cause for worker confrontations on the issue. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1990
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AIDS in the workplace
Article Abstract:
American corporations and the workplace in general have been affected by the AIDS epidemic (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). A survey concerning the impact of AIDS was conducted among 67 American corporations throughout the U.S., mostly in the Northeast. The companies were involved in various industries, including finance, insurance, health care, the media, and retailing, and most reported AIDS-afflicted employees by 1988 who had been successfully accommodated. The extent of the epidemic is shown by the fact that all but one surveyed corporation had an affected employee, and that all companies in New York City with more than 2,000 employees had more than one. If all types of cancer were considered as separate disease entities, AIDS would emerge as the leading cause of death of American workers. The data also suggest that the size of the corporation, company focus and location of the corporation were important in the impact of AIDS. The survey also indicates that public health guidelines were being followed and that workplace prejudice against AIDS patients is the exception and not the rule.
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1989
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Risk factors in the psychosocial work environment for neck and shoulder pain in secretaries
Article Abstract:
A high level of correlation is found between psychologic work variables, in large part resulting from office automation, and neck and shoulder pain among secretaries. Relatively high stress levels are associated with office work for clerical video display unit (VDU) workers; they result from workload, pace, lack of control over work activities, monotony, and job dissatisfaction factors. A study of 420 secretaries and office personnel demonstrates that the psychosocial work environment is possibly quite important to the development of musculoskeletal pain disorders. A 'poorly' experienced psychologic work environment is related to a higher frequency of neck and shoulder pain than a 'well' experienced psychologic work environment. In particular, work content and work-related status are associated with physical symptoms. Secretaries are near the bottom of the organizational hierarchy; they often feel helpless in the face of the demands placed on them and do not believe they can initiate positive changes in their work situation.
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1989
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- Abstracts: Employee knowledge and attitudes about a work-site nonsmoking policy: rationale for further smoking restrictions
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