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; Services of Mead Data Central„ Inc. LEVEL 1 - 55 OF 55 STORIES Proprietary to the United Press International 1986 PAGE 217 September 3, 1986, Wednesday, BC cycle SECTION: Regional News D I STR I BUT I Ola : 0 regon LENGTH: 563 words HEADLINE: Workplace smoking ban works, researchers say BYLINE: By ROB STEIN, UPI Science Writer DATELINE: BOSTON KEYLl4RD: Smoking BODY: Banning smoking in the workplace helped Northwest telephone employees kick the habit without prompting them to quit their jobs, researchers said Wednesday. " Workplace smoking bans do encourage people to quit or smoke less and if they ever become the norm,it will have a profound i'mpact on this country's cigarette consumption,'' said Dr. Michael J. Martin, clinical epidemiologist at the University of California in San Francisco. In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, Martin reviewed the experience of Pacific Nbrthwest Bell,, which banned smoking for all 15,000 employees in all company facilities in July 1985. " Although the company initially received some complaints, not a single employee has left because of it, " Martin said. ''A few were irritated enougKto write letters complaining about the ordinance. But that was about i't." When the ban was announced, the company also unveiled a program for reimbursing employees for participating in programs to help them quit smoking. In the first six months 1,044 employees -- 25 percent of all company smokers -- had signed up. " The actual number of smokers who tried to quit Is probably much larger because many smokers prefer to quit on their own rather than by going to cessation programs, " said Martin. By comparison, in the 26 months before the smoking ban, employees had the opportunity to participate in smoking-cessation programs during working hours that were free. Only 331 employees signed up. In addition, even employees who continued to smoke consumed fewer cigarettes. A company survey found that those who reduced their smoking cut back from an average of 29 cigarettes a day to 21, said Martin. " There's a clear association between the health consequences of smoking and the amount they smoke. Cutting back by that much would have a clear benefit, "' said Martin. LE)IISON-Eu Is e.Ex Is4VEXe s"

Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. PAGE 218 Proprietary to the United Press International, September 3, 1986 Martin attributed the success of the ban to the way it was Implemented. °'Much of the ban's succss is because it was applied uniformly to all employees. Employees sometimes have objected to smoking bans that allow those with private offices to smoke while those in large open work areas cannot. This smoking poLicy applied equally to everyone, " aid Martin. Martin aid many companies are considering smoking bans, primarily to save money. Studies have shown an employee who smokes can cost an extra $4,700 a year, primarily for higher health care costs and absenteeism. Martin said non-smokers also:benefit because they are not exposed to their co-workers' smoke. ''The risks are clearly there and it is time to start protecting the rights of non-smokers, " he said. Martin called for other businesses to adopt similar bans, and said hospitals should take the lead. " Smoking is the greatest cause of premature death~and disability in the United States, and: it would be ironic if health care institutions let the general business community take the lead, " he said. Martin also said that while most hospitals have segregated smokers from non-smokers, a few have banned smoking completely, including the Group Health Cooperative Hospital of Puget Sound. Swedish Hospital in Seattle began a smokingg ban on Monday. Co-authors of the report were Annette Fehrenbach, psychiatric consultant at Pacific Northwest Bell, and Robert Rosner, executive director of the Smoking Policy Institute at Seattle University. CES LEXIS'NEX1S'LE7rIS°ldEX15'