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Posted By Paul
What are the opinions on HSE professionals that are smokers?
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Posted By Barry x
My opinion of a smoker is no different to that of a non smoker!
Why would it make any difference?
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Posted By Steve M Granger
To err is to be human...... like most have a few habits that many disaprove of but probably have endearing qualities too.
'Let he (or her) who is without sin cast the first bucket of water .....'
Lets help them to stop not stop helping them.
Strictly no smoking Steve
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Posted By clairel
That's their problem (as an ex-smoker!).
Interesting that you don't include heavy drinking in your statement. Smoking is no longer socially acceptable yet drinking seems to be (bearing in mind that most drink more than they should without believing it to be an issue). But which is in fact more of a problem!
As several threads have discussed previously, what about those us H&S professionals that do dangerous sports!!
Where is your thread leading to I wonder?
Are we expected to be perfect moral figures in society?
Hope not. I'm not.
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Posted By Paul
We have differences in opinion for people on this issue.
I work on site / office and consider myself to be a smoker and health and safety professional.
I never smoke on site or in offices but have on occasion had a cigarette with some of the lads at designated smoking areas under permit.
My point is I have many people question why would a HSE professional smoke as its dangerous to health.
I consider my job in the HSE arena to be work related of course but my smoking is a personnel matter, I accept the risks that are been undertaken by my smoking.
Does my smoking create a bad image for health and safety?
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Posted By T Birchall
In one of the industries that I work in, Licensed Asbestos Supervisory Work, it's hard to find an asbestos removal operative / supervisor that does not smoke! Strange fact for what it's worth.
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Posted By Paul
Interesting comments, as I discovered recently, my superior in back office is also a regular smoker and like myself dedicated to providing a safe work environment for our people on site.
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Posted By Bob Youel
the greatest leaders are always those that lead by example so if you want a healthy work place you should become the shining example
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Posted By andrew morris
Perhaps I should give up Chocolate and lose a few pounds....
Everyone makes choices - if it were a work related activity (i.e. testing the quality of a good draG) then maybe it should be stopped; but healthy living and welfare is about choice. It would be difficult to promote a smoking reduction campaign if you were a smoker however, (but not impossible!).
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Posted By Buzz Lightyear
'Health and Safety Professionals' who smoke? Let's break this job title down:
'Health'? - well clearly they fail at that (cough, splatter cough cough)
'Safety'? - cigarettes = fire risk so they are not very 'safety'.
'Professional'? - I don't think smoking looks at all professional and it makes people's clothes stink and it more goes with the image of Wayne and Waynetta these days.
That's my completely unbiased opinion anyway.
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Posted By Colin Reeves
I would hate to see your biased opinion!!
Colin
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Posted By Paul
Ahhh I can see we have the camp out for non smoking with Buzz lightyear + Bob Youel.
I once seen a highly distinguished surgeon who was a regular smoker, did that make him a danger to a persons health if we are to break it down Mr. Buzzyear.
As for the health + safety of the people on our site, or the many sites I have worked on, the most important aspect to it is their health and safety in the workplace.
As I stated I never smoke on site or in offices.
The important issue about been a health and safety professional, is the protection of the people within our scope of works from accident / injury.
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Posted By Paul Phillips
I don't care if some-one smokes or not as long as they can do their job, isn't this about stopping incidents, reducing accidents, near misses and the likes and not about personal habits, if not lets get rid of all the smokers in any profession, but also include the addicts who use drugs, drink and a variety of other cocktails. and see how many people there are left in work. I am fed up with people slagging smokers. See how much your taxes would increase if the gov didn't have smokers taxes. and dont think for one minute the NHS could substitute it. beacuse they haven't got any money anyway.
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Posted By Bob Shillabeer
Don't mind people smoking as long as it is about twenty millioj miles away from where I am. My wife suffers swith a condition created by smoking and I have found out that this particular problem is very normal for anyone who smoked in the past. Believe me COPD is not a fun thing to have or live with. Smoning would be quite natural if human beings had a chimney coming out of the head.
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Posted By Buzz Lightyear
It's a filthy dirty habit and people who smoke smell horrible. I have colleagues that smoke. They discretely sneak off for a fag break umpteen times a day and try to return discretely but you don't need to hear them coming - you can smell their cloud of carcinogenic nanoparticles. It's all very well some people saying it's no worse than drugs, alcohol etc but this is just a diversion because those sorts of habits are also unacceptable at most work places. Two wrongs don't make a right anyway.
As for separating occupational H&S from lifestyle choice - I don't think you can as personal image and character are inseparable to most.
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Posted By Colin Reeves
Ahh, now we see the biased opinion!!
Colin
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Posted By Eddie
Nice to see that there is still a place for the ill considered rant in a H&S discussion!
Carcinogenic nanoparticles - can a smell be a trigger for cancer?
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Posted By Amy Upton
As previously stated this is supposidly about H&S
If someone is excellent at there job as a H&S expert why is it wrong that they smoke
Without our taxes the NHS would be screwed and although that doesn't justify my smoking, I do believe we STILL live in a free country
If i want to carry on smoking i will, and i live with the knowledge it may/may not kill me, that is MY CHOICE
A Smoker
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Posted By Amy Upton
Inhalation of cigarette fumes can cause cancer as all HS people should know!
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Posted By Amy Upton
Just popping out for a smoke ;-)
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Posted By Kevin Drum
Always a touchy subject - in the 6 months we have been in our new campus we have had to move the smoking area three times due to complaints from staff.
Not an area where smokers and non smokers will ever agree. I for one would ban it on the campus all together so guess that shows which side of the fence I sit on!!
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Posted By D. Hilton
Of course a complete ban would drive it underground and increase the risk of fire
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Posted By b12
Never mind how many H&S peeps smoke - how many nurses, doctors, health professionals smoke! Better than that every smoking cessation nurse I have met has been a smoker (with no intention of stopping).
Anyway - what was the point of the thread?
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Posted By Steve M Granger
to let Buzz out of his cage for 5 mins......
NOW GET BACK IN!!!!
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Posted By Sen Sar
IMHO there are three categories:
1- smoker
2-non smoker
3-"giver uppers"
Give me the first two categories any time!!
As far as I aware we still live in a land of choice...albeit limited these days.
a smoker....by choice
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Posted By Ken Taylor
Some years ago we used to have conferences, meetings and seminars where smoking was allowed. Later smoking was permitted after the 'official dinner'. Then it was relegated to groups of addicted delegates standing around outside the building. I used to attract angry criticism on this forum for supporting a ban on smoking in workplaces other than in designated smoking rooms. Now smoking rooms are outlawed. So we have 'come a long way' on this subject but it's taken some time.
In my view smoking should be a matter of personal choice but only where it's not risking the health or safety of others. For those with a responsibility to promote health it would be advisable for them not to smoke - in much the same way as road safety officers will appear more credible if they don't drink and drive or ignore speed limits.
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Posted By Paul
In response to Ken Taylor, I think the comparison between smoking H&S Professionals and our colleagues in the road Safety Dept. with the drink driving is a bit extreme.
For the post to this thread by b12, the reason for this thread is to bring to the front the issue of Health and safety professionals that smoke, promoting as part of their work health issues i.e medical checks.
For Mr. Light-year we are well informed of the carcinogenic nano-particles properties of cigarette smoke, the health campaign on this issue is well and truly established and one must remember that as member countries of the E.U, we are and have instigated no smoking into the statue laws, e.g. any public buildings/ pubs / restaurants / workplaces/ where smoke can be contained roofed structures etc. I think the Rep. of Ireland was the 1st to put this in law as far back as 2004.
This thread was opened for people to discuss openly there views on this matter, as many have voiced, we still live in free countries that protect our right of choice.
This issue will always be divided, but my post was to generate debate on this matter and find out does smoking, in part, damage a persons credibility as a HSE professional
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Posted By Peter F.
Shhhh. don't tell anyone but I have been informed that there are Dr's and nurse's who smoke, how bad is that.
Apparently some Dr's and nurses are also overweight and they tell us how to keep healthy, how ironic.
Get real, most people are not interested in what you do your a health and safety officer for gods sake, not god.
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Posted By Adam Worth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanoparticle
Are we sure we mean Nanoparticles??? Nothing like some bad science to make me ignore your point :)
I see the point about smoking - am a non smoker and very glad of the new rules on smoking, however isn't it a risk based decision for the individual?
The important point is not to inflict it upon others.
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Posted By Bob Howden
I suspect that this is a can of worms we wish we hadn't opened.
In a previous health & safety job my manager suggested that the 'hot-hatch' that I drove didn't convey the right image. He wasn't terribly impressed by my motorbike either.
I used to be a smoker (gave up 10 years ago) but am now very overweight.
However I don't believe that any of this detracts from my ability to provide good practical health and safety advice to my employers.
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Posted By Simon Marshall
why pick on smokers....what about heavy drinkers and more importantly overweight, obese people (and there are many)who run the risk of heart disease and strokes...id rather be a smoker than fat...
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Posted By Steve Cartwright
If you live in a glass house you should not throw stones. We all do something that is bad for us. Life would be extremly dull if we gave everything up.
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Posted By Tabs
Life is fatal.
My job is to see that people do not lose their life choices whilst making profits for others.
I am happy to keep people fit enough to do whatever they want to shorten their life. So long as it is their choice.
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Posted By Colin Reeves
Tabs
Brilliant summary of the whole thread!
Colin
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Posted By Ucan
If we all did as we should then it would be pointless getting up in the morning......
I am an X smoker and have been off them now for 3.5 years.
Do we all keep to the speeding limit????? I doubt it, Health and Safety professionals or not................
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Posted By andymak
Filthy dirty smelly habit, however I still enjoy it!
I have done a risk assessment, and am happy with the result.
We are in the realms of individual choice here, even my doctor who is a feverant non-smoker (makes a change for the medical profession) has said the amount I smoke is an insignificant risk to my health.
I have worked somewhere where people were docked time for taking smoke breaks, but then they had to do the same for people who wandered away from their desks to make tea / coffee and have chats throughout the day so abandonned the scheme as it affected one of the directors!
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Posted By Paul
Andymak what a great response
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Posted By Peter F.
Andy,
I worked for a company a few years ago were the shout of 'smoke o' went up and all tools were downed and all smokers left the work area those who didn't smoke were challenged for not being on the job and sitting (from the supervisors point of view) doing nothing.
I am a non smoker now but fail to see how smoking or not as the case maybe should influence how people look at you or take your advice as a H&S officer. The only time this could happen is if your risk assessment said no smoking and you as H&S officer continued to smoke whilst carrying out the task.
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Posted By James Norman
I think Tabs summed it all up with this comment to be honest!!
"Life is fatal.
My job is to see that people do not lose their life choices whilst making profits for others.
I am happy to keep people fit enough to do whatever they want to shorten their life. So long as it is their choice."
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Posted By Anderson8
Yep, your quite right Tabs and James, none of us get out alive.
I often get people commenting on some of the things I do as I am a keen climber and scrambler which is a a dangerous sport, but at the end of the days it's my choice and my time (I'd like to think I am experienced and sensible to agree), if i choose to put myself at risk for what I enjoy I will. Having said that in the workplace none of us want to be placed at unnecessary risk and this is the key difference here "work and play".
Sean - none smoker:0)
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