Inside this issue...

-    You can’t smoke in your own car!
-    You could face a R50 000 fine!
-    Warning! Have you got a smoking policy?
-    Could we be heading the same way as New Zealand?
-    Did you fill in our survey we sent last week Thursday?

Dear reader,

You should have received your first health and safety update for this year. You’ll see we’ve included the very important amendments Government made to the Tobacco Products Control Act on the 21st of August last year. There’ve been some very interesting (and prohibitive) developments!

You can’t smoke in your own car! 

I know… you’re probably thinking to yourself, “It’s my car, if I want to set up a mobile disco in it and hire belly dancers, that’s my business so why shouldn’t I be allowed to smoke in it if I want to?”

Unfortunately, if you smoke in the presence of a young child in your vehicle, you’re liable for a R500 fine!

It gets worse…

You could face a R50 000 fine!

Let’s say you have a pizzeria inside a shopping centre. In the smoking section you have a vending machine selling cigarettes. One of customers sends his child to fetch him a pack from the machine.

This can happen so easily, but it’s not allowed! If children under the age of 18 can access a cigarette vending machine, you could pay up to R50 000 in fines!

In fact, you can’t even sell sweets to under-18s if they resemble tobacco products. I remember those candy Texan sweets in the shape of cigarettes – guess those are no longer on the market!

Isn’t it a relief to know that we’ve given you all this information as soon as possible?

Warning! Have you got a smoking policy?

You must develop a policy for smoking in your workplace and apply that policy within three months of the Act coming into operation (Section 8, Tobacco Products Control Act). If you fail to do this, you may face a fine of up to R50 000! If you haven’t already developed a policy, you’re immediately in violation as the legislation is already five months’ old!

Could we be heading the same way as New Zealand?

On 5 September 2007, the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in New Zealand called for the removal of tobacco from sale by 2017, and based on the ever-increasing aggressive anti-smoking campaigns the government is punting, this could become a reality in the next five years!

Should we be thinking of doing the same? The New Zealand government believes this will stop children from taking up smoking, and that can only be a good thing.  

In the name of safety,

Christel Fouché
Editor-In-Chief: Health and Safety Advisor

PS: Did you fill in our survey we sent last week Thursday? 

It won’t take you more than five minutes. How better to know what information to bring you then by you telling us exactly what you want?