KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Three out of four bar workers (74 percent) said they would rather work in settings where smoking is not allowed, according to a new local study.
Completed by Public Health - Seattle & King County in cooperation with the union UNITE HERE Local 8 and the evaluation team at Group Health Community Foundation, the study also indicated that 72 percent of the union's membership prefers working in smoke-free environments.
"Everyone deserves to breathe clean air while they work, but we learned from this study that too many still labor under unhealthful conditions," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "As more establishments are discovering, going smoke-free does right by their employees and makes good business sense."
The workers surveyed included bar workers, food-service workers, house workers and kitchen workers who are members of UNITE HERE Local 8, which represents more than 4,000 hospitality workers in Washington state, most of whom work in King County. Most of the workers are people of color and immigrants, and in all job categories, except kitchen workers, women are the majority.
"Hundreds of studies over the last 20 years have shown that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, yet these workers reported that on average they were exposed to secondhand smoke two hours a day," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director and Health Officer for Public Health -Seattle & King County. "Current law makes most offices smoke-free, but these workers, especially those that work in the restaurant and bar areas, aren't afforded the same protection that the rest of us enjoy in our working environments."
Worker comments
One worker who works in an area without smoke said "after so many years of being exposed to other people's smoke I am not about to tolerate this unhealthy lifestyle for myself." Another responded to a concern shared by many of the workers that eliminating smoking in public places would hurt businesses, saying that the smoke-free decision "has not changed business in the least, just means smokers have to smoke elsewhere."
The study also found workers to be knowledgeable about second hand smoke: two-thirds recognize the hazard of secondhand smoke, feel it is harmful, and believe smoking indoors should not be allowed at all. These responses were the same for men and women, and for those workers born in and outside of the United States. These findings reflect the perspectives of workers who have worked in the industry for an average of 12 years.
Promoting smoke free environments
In addition, the Smoke-free Coalition of Seattle and King County continues its ongoing efforts with the owners and operators of restaurants and bars to highlight the business benefits of going smoke-free. Surveys of King County show that people who go to bars would continue to go out even if smoking was not allowed in public places. The Coalition is sponsoring several events in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood over the next week to highlight some of its smoke-free bars and nightclubs. A co-sponsor of the event is Artpatch, an organization that supports arts, culture and health.
A full listing of smoke-free restaurants and bars can be found on the Public Health website.
Events and specials in Fremont will begin on Friday, January 28, continuing through February 2:
