CLEAN INDOOR AIR—Restaurant and bar workers are most at risk from secondhand smoke. Working an eight-hour shift in a smoke-filled room is the equivalent of smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes.

Indoor Smoking Ban To Protect Workers

For the first time, the North Carolina General Assembly is taking solid steps to protect workers and the public from secondhand smoke. This session lawmakers have filed several bills to restrict smoking in the workplace, including one bill that would ban smoking in all indoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

“I applaud the General Assembly for finally taking up the issue of secondhand smoke,” said NCPIRG’s Rob Thompson. “It’s a proven killer and we have waited too long to do something about it.”

Secondhand smoke kills between 35,000 and 53,000 non-smokers every year. In North Carolina, 1,220 to 2,180 adults, children and babies die each year because of their proximity to smokers.

Unfortunately, state law prohibits municipal or county governments from restricting smoking in indoor workplaces, leaving far too many of North Carolina’s workers and consumers at risk. Among the bills filed this legislative session is one that will allow cities and counties to regulate indoor smoking to protect public health.

“If passed, I hope that cities and counties across North Carolina will take advantage of opportunity by banning smoking in all workplaces, restaurants and bars,” continued Thompson.

North Carolina’s restaurant and bar workers are most at risk. Many workers have to spend eight hours every day breathing in secondhand smoke. In an average shift, waitresses, waiters and bartenders inhale the equivalent of close to one pack of cigarettes every day.

“Smoking a pack a day should not be a condition for employment in North Carolina,” said Thompson.