Hospital to ban odor of smoke on workers' clothes.

[Vanderfelt]

I just believe this is a very dangerous road to travel. Where does it stop? It has begun already, people begin to rationalize these ridiculous invasions on personal freedoms and privacy. Where will it end? "You let me ban this, so I am going to press on and ban this...." I just find it frightening.

 

[ladyride]

With the shortages in health care now this kind of restrictions will severely limit those who will remain it & those thinking about going into it. That is total control of your lifestyle & personal freedoms. People already wonder why it takes months to get a md appointment in a litigious society more md's are saying it is not worth loosing everything. Nurses carry 6-8 patients each how can you begin to give personalized care you can't esp in today's environment of people are just so much sicker than they used to be. There are twice as many leaving the field as coming in now. Many who won't even consider it with that type of restrictions. Here a hospital closed you would think those employees would have been absorbed by the other 3 in the area but 75% opted for early retirement,or change of professions.
Try medical care in a 3rd world country now that is scary.

 

[ladyride]

Quote:
Thank-you so do I & we are loosing more of our freedoms everyday . When do we say enough ??

 

[PaulaSB12]

Probably the only one who is going to say this, but (and I am a life long non smoker) I like the smell of cigerettes and will (when at disney) sit in the smoking area. As for smoke breaks at work we all have them smokers and non smokers (well thats what we call them all you get is I am of for a fag break)

 

[Vanderfelt]

Maybe a tongue -in-cheek campaign to ban wearing blue and green eyeshadow in conjunction with spandex? I am sure we can scrounge up statistics stating that it is hazardous to your health to wear or view someone wearing it.

 

[cupman]

It isn't the end of the world, guys.

 

[frostbite]

Seems overreaching to me. There's no evidence that the smell of tobacco smoke causes any harm, other than the odor being personally offensive, but hospitals are really good at generating plenty of offensive odors of their own. I'd rather smell a reeking tobacco person than some of their cleaning agents.

I was walking in to the hospital once, happened to have to walk past the corner where the smokers congregate (it's a no smoking campus) and even though there were no smokers there at the time, when I encountered my doctor on the way across the parking lot, he asked me, "did you start smoking?". That was all it took.

I think we can all be a little more tolerant. Ban smoking on the hospital campus, but don't ban "odors" that are noxious but harmless. Next they won't allow staff to have a basal flatal rate.

 

[mamagardener]

All I can say is stupid! I have been smoke free for ten years, and unless someone just got out of a closed up car with a bunch of smokers or another extreme situation where they smell really bad I don't see a big deal. They should be able to smoke, and then pop a breath mint after so their breath doesn't stink. Come to think of it Dr. and nurses should pop breath mints anyways to keep their breath from being gross.

Unless they really reek leave them alone.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I think they could have struck a better balance with this. Something like allowing workers to smoke, but ensuring any worker who comes in contact with patients change out of their work scrubs and into street clothes (maybe a hair cap too) for smoking. You can still smoke, patients with already compromised systems aren't put at further risk, and it increases santitary measures in general. Win win.

PS. It is more than an odor. I have to shower immediately after cooking out, or I break out very badly from the smoke. Coming into contact with someone with smoke-laden clothes makes both my husband and I itch terribly, but only I break out and get rashes. That is because there are actual toxins...not just smell. I've never broken into a rash waiting for my dog to do her business.

 

[pips&peeps]

When my daughter was an infant she would constantly have respiratory issues at daycare; raspy wheezing which would turn into croup. We were at the emergency room more times than I can remember.

My husband's work was near the day care, so he dropped her off and picked her up all the time. One time I had to take off work to get her because of her breathing issues.

Well, when I got there the lady that was caring for her reaked of smoke. Her blankie that was left at the daycare also smelled terrible. I asked the owner of the daycare who spent the most time with Faith and of course it was the lady who smoked! We removed her from that daycare immediately and put her in a smoke free environment. She didn't have any issues with her breathing unless she had a bad cold after that.

Yes, third hand smoke does cause issues and I think that if you are working with people who have respiratory issues, then you should not smoke around them or have smelly smokey clothes.