Employees at Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Louisiana will soon no longer be allowed to wear “smoky” clothing at work. Hospital officials have announced that starting in July 2012 employees who wear clothes that smell like smoke will be sent home.
The hospitals smoky clothes policy has been in place for their women’s and children’s wings for two years. Since employees will not be allowed to smoke at all during their shifts the hospital is offering resources and support for any employees who choose to quit smoking.
According to hospital officials the policy will extend to the entire campus and is intended to reduce patients’ and employees exposure to “third-hand smoke” and other toxins that remain on clothing after a cigarette is smoked.
The women’s and children’s wings went into effect earlier than the rest of the hospital because third-hand smoke and contaminants have been shown to have more far reaching negative effects on those groups.
Under the program employees were sent letters explaining that they had nearly one year to make adjustments to their lifestyle and comply with the new hospital policy.
Do you think it’s fair for hospital administrators to impose smoking sanctions on a staff that work double and triple shifts on a regular basis?
