Tobacco-Free Workplace

Maintain a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace policy

The tobacco-free policy must apply to the entire workplace – both indoors and outdoors and must apply to all US-based employees, temporary workers, contractors and visitors. Gold Standard employers may not have any designated areas for the use of any form of tobacco.

Sample tobacco-free workplace policy

Sample tobacco-free enforcement language

Forms of tobacco and smokeless tobacco

Cigarettes, Cigars, Pipes
Smokeless tobacco, also called chewing tobacco, oral tobacco, spit or spitting tobacco, dip, chew, snuff, snus, twist, plug, and dissolvable tobacco products
Electronic cigarettes, also called “e-cigarettes,” or “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems” (ENDS)

Best Practices

Tobacco Free Worksites

Tobacco Free Worksites

BD's purpose is "advancing the world of health" and we are committed to providing a tobacco free work environment to support the health and vitality of our associates. Since 2011, BD has embraced the "Five Pillars" of the Gold Standard and is proud to provide a tobacco-free worksite for all US associates. As part of that commitment, we are excited to announce that in November 2016, we transitioned all 17 US CareFusion worksites to a tobacco-free work environment. (CareFusion was acquired by BD in March of 2015.)

All "designated...

Articles of Interest

Your Boss Doesn’t Support a Smoke-Free Policy…Now What?

Saul, Jessie

ex Program

CVS Health Marks First Anniversary of Tobacco Removal With New Data on Decision’s Impact, Extends Commitment to Creating Tobacco-Free Generation

CVS Press Release

Research & Evidence

Beyond experimentation: Five trajectories of cigarette smoking in a longitudinal sample of youth

Dutra, Lauren M.; Stanton A. Glantz, Nadra E. Lisha, Anna V. Song

Cigarette butts near building entrances: what is the impact of smoke-free college campus policies?

Lee, Joseph G L, Leah M Ranney, Adam O Goldstein

BMJ Journals

Frequently Asked Questions

Pillar 1: Tobacco-Free Workplace

What is meant by "...reasonable cost-sharing level, for evidence based tobacco treatments"?

Coverage for all evidence-based tobacco-cessation treatments is considered to be provided at a reasonable cost-sharing level if the co-pay or cost sharing is in line with coverage provided for other pharmaceutical products.

Why do e-cigarettes have to be prohibited within a tobacco-free workplace policy?

We’ve taken a strong stance on e-cigarettes as part of our tobacco-free workplace requirements for Gold Standard employers. E-cigarettes are flavored vaporizing devices that provide nicotine dosing, which means they can lead to nicotine addiction. Despite the fact that they do not contain tobacco, and the adverse health effects of e-cigarettes are not yet proven (unlike the well-documented adverse health effects of tobacco products), they are explicitly not permitted at Gold Standard workplaces for a number of reasons:

Some people argue that e-cigarettes may be effective in helping people stop smoking tobacco products. However, they are not regulated by the FDA, are often produced outside the U.S., and they contain a range of additional substances that are being studied for toxicity for their users and for others nearby. Therefore, e-cigarettes are not proven to be safe as a tobacco-cessation aid.
E-cigarette manufacturers are aggressively marketing these products, and there is significant concern that e-cigarettes could make smoking overall more socially acceptable as well as serving as an introduction to smoking regular cigarettes.
Other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices (ENDs) are now entering the marketplace as well, and all of those devices are also prohibited at Gold Standard workplaces. Other ENDs may not look like electronic cigarettes, but they similarly deliver nicotine into the user.

Why do e-cigarettes have to be prohibited within a tobacco-free workplace policy?

Some people argue that e-cigarettes may be effective in helping people stop smoking tobacco products. However, they are not regulated by the FDA, are often produced outside the U.S., and they contain a range of additional substances that are being studied for toxicity for their users and for others nearby. Therefore, e-cigarettes are not proven to be safe as a tobacco-cessation aid.
E-cigarette manufacturers are aggressively marketing these products, and there is significant concern that e-cigarettes could make smoking overall more socially acceptable as well as serving as an introduction to smoking regular cigarettes.
Other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices (ENDs) are now entering the marketplace as well, and all of those devices are also prohibited at Gold Standard workplaces. Other ENDs may not look like electronic cigarettes, but they similarly deliver nicotine into the user.

Brochures/Reference

State of Colorado Executive Order B 2018 011

Amending Executive Order D 0036 90 Regarding Smoking in State Buildings and Further Directing State Agencies to Take Action to Limit the Use of Tobacco Products, Vaping
Products, and E-Cigarettes by Youth

State of Oklahoma Executive Order 2013-43

Executive Order prohibiting the use of electronic cigarette or vaping device on any and all properties owned, leased or contracted for use by the State of Oklahoma, including but not limited to all buildings, land and vehicles owned, leased or contracted for use by agencies or instrumentalities of the State of Oklahoma.

Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Nearly one-half million Americans still die prematurely from tobacco use each year, and more than 16 million Americans suffer from a disease caused by smoking. Despite these risks, approximately 42.1 million U.S. adults currently smoke cigarettes. And the harmful effects of smoking do not end with the smoker. Secondhand smoke exposure causes serious disease and death, and even brief exposure can be harmful to health. Each year, primarily because of exposure to secondhand smoke, an estimated 7,330 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer and more than 33,900 die of heart disease. Coupled with this enormous health toll is the significant economic burden. Economic costs attributable to smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke now approach $300 billion annually.

State of Oklahoma Executive Order 2012-01

Executive Order prohibits the use of any tobacco product on any and all properties owned, leased or contracted for use by the State of Oklahoma, including but not limited to all buildings, land and vehicles owned, leased or contracted for use by agencies or instrumentalities of the State of Oklahoma. The goal of this Executive Order isto provide for a healthier work environment, encourage healthier lifestyle choices for state employees and protect visitors to state property.

Adopting Tobacco-free Policies on Campuses

This guide is designed to assist with the creation of effective and enforceable tobacco-free policies for higher-education institutions.

External Resources

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Promising Policies And Practices To Address Tobacco Use By Persons With Mental And Substance Use Disorders

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

People with mental and substance use disorders:

Are approximately twice as likely as the general population to smoke cigarettes
Are more likely to die from smoking-related illness than from their mental and substance use disorders (i.e. behavioral health conditions) and
Want to quit smoking and are able to do so successfully, which both reduces their risk of developing smoking-related diseases and may also improve their behavioral health outcomes.

NCI Tobacco-Free Policy

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

To protect everyone's health, NCI is completely tobacco-free (including e-cigarettes and any other electronic nicotine delivery systems or smoking devices). This policy includes visitors.

Global Smoke-Free Worksite Challenge

American Cancer Society

The Global Smokefree Worksite Challenge (GSWC) was a global, multi-sector initiative for employers to make their worksites smoke-free or completely tobacco-free. The GSWC assisted employers in establishing smoke-free worksites and broadening their policies to establish completely tobacco-free campuses when appropriate. The Global Smoke-free Worksite Challenge was launched as a Clinton Global Initiative ‘Commitment to Action,’ concurrently with the United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2011.

After the initiative came to an end in 2016, the Society committed to ensuring the availability of the high-quality tools developed over the years. These tools are available below.

Improve Indoor Air Quality

American Lung Association

Maintaining healthy indoor air quality is an important step for all of your employee’s health. Regardless of whether you work in an industrial, service or office setting, common allergens and irritants may be closer than you realize.

Smokefree Policies Result in High Levels of Compliance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Exposure to secondhand smoke from burning tobacco products causes disease and premature death among nonsmokers. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke, and even brief exposure can cause immediate harm.1Establishing a 100% smokefree environment is the only effective way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

National and international studies have shown that comprehensive national, state, and local smokefree laws that prohibit smoking in all indoor areas of workplaces, restaurants, and bars typically result in high levels of compliance.1-6 Studies have found that comprehensive smokefree laws are easier to enforce and achieve higher levels of compliance than smoking restrictions that contain significant exemptions (e.g., exemptions for designated smoking areas or certain types of restaurants or bars).

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Tobacco-Free Workplace

Maintain a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace policy

Pillar 1: Tobacco-Free Workplace

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