Board of Health gives special
recognition to Smoke Free Restaurants - September 2007
Does a restaurant benefit from being
smoke-free? Do you? A study from the University of
California and the Centers for Disease Control would
argue…Yes! U of C research concludes that some studies
show that smoke-free measures improve business. Why?
Reduction in costs you may overlook. Restaurants pay
higher costs in maintenance) and cleaning of carpets,
drapes, cloth tablecloths and paintwork. Restaurants
pay higher costs for insurance due to increased risk of
fire, medical claims, workers compensation claims and
liability. Last, restaurants pay higher labor costs due
to absenteeism and decreased productivity of smoking
workers. Additionally, according to the Centers for
Disease Control, about 3,000 non-smokers die annually
from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke and 35,000
non-smokers die annually from heart disease caused by
secondhand smoke.
Knowing these facts and acting on
them are two entirely different situations. However,
numerous restaurants in our communities have taken this
step to improve their business atmosphere and protect
the health of their customers.
For their foresight and, dare we say,
courage, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community
Health Agency Board of Health has recognized, formally,
the restaurants in our tri-county area that are
smoke-free. Please reward these establishments for
their support of citizen’s right to eat in a smoke free
atmosphere and for restaurant workers to work in a safe,
smoke free environment.
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