|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
March 1, 2005Counties ponder smoking banEmmet, Otsego commissioners OK measureBy Record-Eagle staff writer PETOSKEY - Cheryl Renaud does something several times a day that may soon be illegal. She smokes at work. A regulation proposed by the Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency would ban smokers from lighting up at work. The ban would apply to enclosed areas in all businesses and public facilities in Emmet, Charlevoix, Otsego and Antrim counties, with the exception of restaurants, bars and tobacco specialty stores. It would extend to outdoor entrances and areas near windows and ventilation systems. Emmet and Otsego commissioners unanimously approved the regulation. Health department spokeswoman Jane Sundmacher said the agency will go to the Antrim and Charlevoix boards next. Renaud, office manager at Ever-Green Lawn Care, said the ban is government intrusion. "If the owner of the company says, 'You're not smoking,' then fine," she said. "How can the health department come in here and tell me what I can and can't do? Don't they have something better to do?" No, they don't, said Sundmacher. "We're doing it to protect the health of non-smoking employees who are working in smoking environments," she said. "About 25 people are dying in our four counties every year as a result of second-hand smoke." A recent survey showed 80 percent of respondents in the four counties favor the restrictions whether they personally smoke or not, Sundmacher said. Most businesses are already smoke-free, she said. That includes Mayfair Plastics in Gaylord. Company vice president Michelle Schwarz said their ban was instituted seven years ago. "We've created an exterior smoking area," she said. "During personal times you have your own choice that's not infringing on others." East Jordan Iron Works, Charlevoix County's largest employer with 550 workers, would face adjustments. Executive vice president Tad Malpass said smoking is not allowed in corporate offices or a facility near the airport. At its main foundry, smoking is allowed in some large, open rooms with ceilings several stories high. "I don't know that I'm for the government to do it or not do it," he said. "It's unique for each and every business depending on their circumstances, their layouts and their buildings." Allowing smoking in any portion of an enclosed facility is unfair to non-smokers, Sundmacher said. The ban calls for a warning for a first offense and later penalties up to $500 and would be enforced by the agency's health officer.
|
|
