Most Workers Now Have Smoke-Free Workplaces

August 13, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Nationally, 69% of employees now work in buildings where smoking has been prohibited by employers or government regulations, according to a study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.

In 1993 less than half (46%) worked in such environments, and fifteen years ago, only 3% did.

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Least likely to be protected? Hotel, casino, bar and restaurant workers. Not surprisingly, then, Nevada had the lowest percentage (48.7%) of workers covered by smoking regulations, followed by:

  • Kentucky
  • Indiana
  • South Dakota
  • Michigan

Utah topped the list of smoking restricted workplaces, with nearly 84% covered. Others high on the list were:

  • Maryland
  • California
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont

The report, based on 270,000 interviews collected by the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey in 1993, 1996 and 1999, was published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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