Vapers need workplace support

A report that links the reduction in the UK’s smoking rate to the availability of electronic cigarettes has called for vapers to be given preferential treatment over smokers in respect of breaks at work, according to an M2 Presswire story relayed by the TMA.

But not everyone is in agreement with the call by the authors of the report, which was released by Public Health England (PHE) on Tuesday.

A survey of 2,000 adults aged 18 and above conducted on behalf of the E-Cig Review Site (www.ecigreviewsite.co.uk) found that 76 percent of the respondents felt that electronic cigarette users should not be allowed extra vape breaks at work.

Fifty-five percent said special vaping areas were not needed at workplaces, and almost two-thirds of the respondents said they would feel annoyed if someone used an electronic cigarette at their desk.

Sixty-one percent of the respondents believed that vaping should be classified as smoking.

Greg Delaney of the E-cig Review Site said electronic cigarettes were often used as part of a stop-smoking strategy or plan, so it was interesting to see that the majority of the public didn’t see vaping in that way.

Grouping electronic cigarettes with regular cigarettes confused the message that electronic cigarettes were usually a step towards quitting completely, rather than an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Instead of making electronic cigarette users outcasts in the workplace, employers should encourage and support them by providing appropriate provisions, such as separate vaping areas away from traditional cigarette smokers.

Delaney commended PHE for highlighting electronic cigarettes as a significant contributor to the reduction of smoking rates in the UK.

He described this as “great news” and said it underlined the need for continued help and support for vapers in all areas, including in the workplace.