Is the workplace smoking ban in the UK still in force

General Discussion
1

As distinct from the one applying to public places like bars etc. ?

I’m asking because in a drivers’ forum in the US, in a discussion about smoking in lorries, it has been alleged to have been repealed. I don’t think so but I don’t live there and don’t know. It applied to company cars as well and penalties for non-compliance were severe.

2

Still in place and not going anywhere.

2 Likes
3

Thankfully :grinning:

2 Likes
4

Thank you, I’ll pass that on to my driver friend in the US. :smiley:

5

If anything they’re trying to make smoking harder (not a bad thing, imo)

6

I agree, but think there may be problems implementing it down the line. Maybe include a massive increase in tax too (ex smoker🙄)

7

So do I, I can’t see how they will be able to enforce to any great degree, already I hear from a small poll I called for from a lorry drivers’ forum suggests that, although illegal and attracting large fines, some companies still allow drivers to smoke in the cab in certain cases (if the cab interior is kept clean and if it is not shared with another driver) .

I can also almost hear the ghost of Al Capone screaming across the Atlantic ‘prohibition, yipeee’ .

Well, it’s worked well with drugs, hasn’t it? :thinking:

1 Like
8

This is permitted under the legislation

*Employees who have a company vehicle for their sole use may not smoke while carrying colleagues for work purposes*
  • Employees who have a company vehicle for their sole use may smoke while carrying colleagues to and from a place of work, as these journeys are counted as private use*
  • Drivers are not allowed to smoke in a company vehicle if it is used by more than one employee, for example pool cars, as there is a risk that other colleagues might later inhale their smoke*
  • Employees sharing a pool car are not allowed to smoke in the vehicle, even if all the users of the vehicle are heavy smokers*
  • A shared company vehicle is exempt from the smoking ban if it is a convertible, but only when the roof is down*
9

Well nothing in those rules refers to drivers of HGVs, the exceptions made that I quoted are not normally carrying passengers and the shared vehicles are those on 24 duty, in other words having a day driver and a night driver, obviously returning to base at the end of each shift. Because there would sometimes be substitute drivers it is not possible to plead that both are smokers.

10

But they are not drivers who have sole use of the vehicle and, probably, the only ones who do are owner/drivers.

n the UK, the smoking ban applies to any vehicle used for work. This includes heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), passenger carrying vehicles (PCVs), delivery vans and company cars and includes sleeper cabs which are required by law to have ‘no smoking’ signs inside the vehicles.

Nonetheless, it is obvious that many drivers who shouldn’t smoke in their vehicle are doing so as enforcement is extremely difficult.