Everyone Deserves A Smoke-Free Workplace

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Kate Moran – Waitress

“Most customers don’t realize how much their smoking affects me.”
Kate Moran Waitress

Working as a waitress can be fun but stressful. Keeping orders straight. Making sure all my tables get the attention they need. What I don’t like is having to deal with secondhand smoke. I don’t think smoking customers mean any harm by it, but often, they blow smoke right in my face.

I know that secondhand smoke is bad for me. But there’s not really a way to avoid it – I just do the best I can. My eyes start burning and my throat becomes raw before my shift is even over. And when I get home I have to take a shower just to get the smell off of me. I shouldn’t have to feel so bad after being at work.

Why can’t I have a smoke-free workplace too?

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FACT:
Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults who themselves have never smoked.
FACT:
Even brief secondhand smoke exposure can damage cells in ways that set the cancer process in motion. Some damage is not reversible.
FACT:
The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Breathing even a little secondhand smoke can be harmful.
FACT:
Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25‐30%.
FACT:
In Arkansas alone, 510 adults die every year from secondhand smoke exposure.