Secondhand Smoke and Business
As smoking bans and restrictions spread across many areas of Colorado, a growing number of businesses are weighing the health risks of secondhand smoke. Many owners and managers have found that the tobacco industry's myths about smoke-free workplaces simply don't hold up against the facts.
- Myth: Smoke-free policies upset customers and employees. Because nearly 80 percent of Colorado residents don't smoke cigarettes, a smoke-free setting actually satisfies the large majority of customers and workers.
- Myth: Smoke-free environments are costly. Companies that adopt smoke-free policies save money through higher productivity, lower health insurance rates and less absenteeism.
- Myth: Smoke-free workplaces are rare. In Colorado, 74 percent of employees say they work in settings that ban smoking in public areas, and 83 percent say their work areas are smoke-free.
