Chewing tobacco

joimack

OK, some employees have brought to my attention that there are employees in the break room who sit and chew tobacco, spitting it out in plain view of employees trying to eat! We have a smoking room but employees eat in there also. Was thinking of maybe all tobacco products go in the smoking break room. Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks.
Joi

TN HR

As a former dipper who swallowed the juice and did not spit I would be grossed out by some pig in the lunchroom spitting dip or chew juice in front of me.

Your tobacco policy should address cigarettes, chew, cigars, blunts, and corn cob pipes (you get my drift) and all tobacco usage should be treated the same.

Gene

Don D

Our tobacco policy applies to all forms of tobacco by whatever means of ingestion or inhalation or suction. None of it is allowed inside any of our facilities. Period.

JM in ATL

You have a smoking room? Where employees still smoke in the building?? Wow, I din't even think that was legal anymore. Where do you live?

Anyway, if you have a "smoking room" where employees can smoke and employees choose to eat in there, well then they are choosing to eat in front of people who dip. Have them eat somewhere else. Or change your "smoking room" to a non-smoking room.

ritamcguire

Build a simple structure/gazebo outside your facility so that employees that use tobacco products can do so while enjoying the great outdoors and, more importantly, not harming their co-workers. In the past few years we went from smoking & tobacco chewing in both of our breakrooms to smoking/chewing only in a designated room, then to smoking/chewing only outside our facility. The next step may be to ban all use of tobacco products on our property. In each case the great majority of employees were grateful for the clean air in the breakrooms specifically and throughout the facility in general. However,there was tremendous grumbling from our smokers and especially from our tobacco chewers. The smokers pretty much saw the writing on the wall. But the chewers protested the loudest by saying their chewing/spitting didn't harm anyone. First of all they don't always hit their spit catching recepticles and tobacco juice is really hard to clean off the floor, walls, and furniture. Secondly, sitting next to someone who is spitting tobacco juice can ruin anyone's lunch. We want our employees to relax and enjoy their lunch/dinner breaks. Now, even our few tobacco users have no problem stepping outside to smoke or chew. It just seems natural, sort of like flying on smoke-free airplanes. Good luck!

Don D

Tobacco/dip/snuff spitting has to be about the nastiest outcome of all human habits. If Junior Samples' wife is satisfied with his brownish-green teeth, fine. But, others in the workplace should not have to endure his spitting 'toward' various receptacles, including sinks, drink cans, bottles, garbage cans, flower gardens, etc.

At another job we had a computer technician who always had a chew larger than his brain stuffed in his jaw. For awhile, the first thing he did every time he came into my office was to locate my garbage can and spit in it. No matter what I did or said seemed to phase him. I asked him to stop, I moved the can, I hid the can. Finally I told him one day, "The next time you do that I am going to kick your ass!" He never did it again.

System

I'll try that and let you know if it works in Maryland.

marc

Per Don: "Our tobacco policy applies to all forms of tobacco by whatever means of ingestion or inhalation or suction."

Ok, I have to admit I am curious about Don's policy prohibiting suction of tobacco products. I knew about smoking and chew - but suction is a new one.

What the heck is suction of a tobacco product?

Our policy is silent in that regard. Now I am wondering what I overlooked.

safety

OK Mark, I can’t speak for Don but there is a way to ingest nicotine without suction. Suction would be the same as inhalation. If one smokes cigars or a pipe the tobacco is strong enough that all one has to do is draw the smoke into their mouth and then exhale out. It will absorb into the system that way. One doesn’t have to suck the smoke into their lungs.

Now, does your policy address nicotine gum or nicotene patches? I know, it's technically not tobacco but . . .

Don D

Relax and suck in a big breath of fresh air, Marc. It'll be suddenly apparent to you.

Aren't you the guy who once told about your college experiences with bongs and Turkish water pipes? How soon you forget.

Crout

You could always build a nice dugout right outside the facility for the dippers.

marc

My response is a mumbled something about flashbacks and fried brain cells.xB-)