Save Lives, Save Money 

Make Your Business Smoke-Free
Suggested citation:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Save Lives, Save Money: Make Your 

Business Smoke-Free. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease 

Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, June 2006.
If you could have a 

safer workplace, a 

cleaner workplace, a 

healthier workplace, a 

more productive workplace—

and it wouldn’t cost you a dime... 

Would you?

If you could save thousands of dollars

a year... 

Would you?

Making your business smoke-free

can do all that, and more.


Why Go Smoke-Free?

It’s good for your bottom line. 

•	 Going smoke-free lowers the risk

of fires and accidental injuries,1,2,3

which can reduce your insurance

costs. Smoke-free businesses

have negotiated for lower fire and

property insurance premiums,

with some businesses winning

reductions of 25–30 percent.4

•	 Going smoke-free reduces cleaning

and maintenance costs.5, 6 The

Building Owners and Managers

Association, a national trade group,

reports that indoor smoking increases

cleaning costs and states “secondhand

smoke does not belong in buildings.” 7

•	 Going smoke-free reduces potential

legal liability. Nonsmokers harmed

by secondhand smoke at work have

won lawsuits and disability claims

against their employers under

a variety of legal remedies. 8,9

Unigard Insurance (Seattle, WA) 

saved $500 a month after going 

smoke-free when its maintenance 

contractor reduced its monthly 

fee because staff no longer had 

to clean ashtrays, dust desks, and 

clean carpets or furniture as often.10

It’s good for your workers’ 

health—and that’s good for 

your bottom line too. 

•	 Everyone benefits when the air is

cleared of secondhand smoke—even

smokers, some of whom will quit or

at least cut back.11,12 Workers become

healthier, and healthier workers miss

less work, are more productive, and

have lower health care costs.13,14,15,16


•	 The American Productivity Audit,

a national survey of over 29,000

workers, found that tobacco use

was a leading cause of worker

lost production time—greater

than alcohol abuse or family

emergencies. Quitting smoking, or

even just cutting back, improves

a worker’s productivity.17 

•	 One large company found that their

employees who smoked had more

hospital admissions (124 vs. 76

admissions per 1,000 workers) and

a higher average insured payment

for health care ($1,145 vs. $762)

than their nonsmoking employees

in an 11-month period. 18

 Want to know more? 

Go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco for

more information about how smokefree policies save employers money

while improving employees’ health.

Think of a lit cigarette as a miniature toxic waste 

dump. Secondhand smoke contains more than 

50 cancer-causing chemicals.19 The toxins in 

secondhand smoke can cause heart disease 

and lung cancer in nonsmokers.20 Breathing 

secondhand smoke for even a short time could 

have immediate effects on your blood and 

blood vessels, potentially increasing the risk of a 

heart attack.21,22,23,24


What Are Your Options?

When it comes to secondhand

smoke, half-measures like designated

smoking rooms won’t get you

where you want to go. Because

there is no safe level of secondhand

smoke25, only 100 percent smokefree policies fully protect workers’

health.26,27 These policies also offer

the greatest support to smokers

trying to quit.28,29,30,31 Smoke-free

policies can take one of two forms:

100 percent smoke-free in all 

indoor areas, including company 

vehicles. Smoking is restricted

within specified feet of entrances,

windows, and ventilation intakes

to prevent smoke from drifting

back into the building. 

100 percent smoke-free in all 

indoor and outdoor areas. Smokers

must leave company property

to smoke. This is often called a

smoke-free campus policy.

Your written smoke-free policy

should begin by stating your

goal to create a safe, healthy

workplace for all workers:

•	 Mention the documented health

risks of secondhand smoke.

•	 Be clear and simple about where

smoking is prohibited. Avoid

exceptions to the policy (for instance,

don’t allow smoking in private

offices or production areas).

•	 Voice your commitment to help

smokers who want to quit.

•	 Design the policy to treat all

workers fairly, regardless of

title or smoking status. 


Myth #1: Ventilation Is a Solution.

Even the most advanced ventilation

system cannot eliminate secondhand

smoke or its health risks.32 The

American Society of Heating,

Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning

Engineers states: “At present, the

only means of effectively eliminating

health risk associated with indoor

exposure [to secondhand smoke]

is to ban smoking activity.”33 

Myth #2: Smoke-Free Policies 

Are Hard to Manage.

Very few workers say that someone

violated a smoke-free policy at

their workplace.34 In fact, most

smokers come to support smokefree policies after they’ve had the

chance to experience one.35,36,37

“Compliance is easy. We haven’t 

had problems with our smoke-free 

policy—that includes the sales 

and customer service reps in our 

office building, the workers at 

our warehouse, and our drivers.” 

Director of Human Resources, Pet 

Food Experts, Inc.38

 Want to know more? 

Go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco

for model workplace policies

and links to organizations that

can help you get started.


Ready To Make Your Business 

Smoke-Free?

Give yourself at least 6 months

to 1 year to plan for the new

policy, enough time to take

the following steps:

Set up a task force to oversee the 

process. Include top management

and workers (union representatives,

if applicable); include nonsmokers,

smokers, and former smokers.

Gather information to educate

the task force and, eventually, the

entire workforce. Survey your

workers about their knowledge and

concerns so you can address them

before your policy goes into effect.

Write the policy. Keep it clear and

simple; the more straightforward the

policy is, the easier it is to understand

and enforce. Set up an enforcement

policy that is consistent with other

personnel policies and disciplinary

procedures. The number of allowed

breaks should be addressed under

your company’s general break policy

and should apply to all workers,

smokers and nonsmokers alike.

Announce the policy several months

before the start date with a letter

from the owner or chief executive

officer. Train managers on how to

handle worker or customer concerns,

questions, and infractions, if they

occur. Educate workers about the

reasons for the policy by using

resources like paycheck inserts,

posters, or company newsletters. 

Offer help to workers who 

want to quit smoking. Plan

in advance how you will do

this. For ideas, see page 10.


Get ready for the policy start date.

Post “no smoking” signs, remove

ashtrays and tobacco vending

machines, and place receptacles for

smoking materials at the designated

distance outside entrances (or

remove receptacles entirely if you

are adopting a smoke-free campus

policy). Hold a kick-off event

on the day the policy starts.

Monitor the policy. Have a

point person in top management

who tracks how the policy

is going. Managers should

report questions, concerns, or

infractions to this person.

Offset Paperback in Pennsylvania 

dismantled their smoking room 

and passed out mints in wrapping 

imprinted with the universal nosmoking sign the day their smokefree policy went into effect.39

 Want to know more? 

Go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco for

step-by-step recommendations

to plan your policy, resources

on working with unions, and

sample materials to help survey

and educate your workers.

If your workers are represented by a union, 

work closely with the union to create your 

smoke-free policy. Find out if workers have 

a right to smoke in the workplace under the 

existing contract. Understand how the collective 

bargaining process may affect development and 

enforcement of a smoking policy. Remember, 

worker health and safety is a key union concern, 

and a natural fit with a smoke-free policy.
10

What About 

Workers Who Smoke?

Adopting a smoke-free policy is

not passing judgment on smokers

and it doesn’t mean workers who

smoke are unwelcome. Providing

cessation assistance to smokers who

try to quit as a result of the policy

can increase acceptance of the policy.

It is also the best way to make sure

that your business maximizes the

potential health benefits, and cost

savings, of your smoke-free policy.

If you provide health insurance or

health maintenance organization

(HMO) coverage, check to see

if your policy covers cessation

services (including counseling

and medication). If it doesn’t, look

into adding coverage for cessation

services to your policy; this is

the most cost-effective benefit

you can offer your workers.40

Other things you can do to increase

smokers’ chances of quitting include:

•	 Distribute a list of local

cessation programs. 

•	 Provide free self-help materials.

•	 Organize free onsite support groups.

•	 Offer free or reimbursed

cessation programs onsite or

through local providers.
11

Many States host toll-free quitlines

that offer free help: Smokers can call

1–800–QUITNOW (1–800–784–

8669) to be connected to the quitline

serving their area. The Web site 

www.smokefree.gov also has quit tips,

information, and other free resources.

“Helping smokers who want to quit 

is the most important thing we 

did to make our smoke-free policy 

work. We held an onsite cessation 

program run by the local health 

department; we also invited many 

local cessation providers to come 

to our business for a health fair to 

promote their programs.” Labor 

Relations Manager, Just Born, Inc.41

 Want to know more? 

Go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco

for more ideas on how to help

smoking workers quit, including

links to free self-help materials

and other resources.

Don’t be afraid to bring up the issue of quitting. 

Seventy percent of smokers say they want to quit.42
12

Over 70 percent of indoor workers already are enjoying the benefits of a

smoke-free workplace.43 The following are just a few of the many companies

that have gone smoke-free (those with an * have a smoke-free campus policy): 44

AT&T

BASF Corporation

Bechtel

BF Goodrich Tire Manufacturing*

Boeing

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Calgon*

Coca-Cola

Dow Chemical Company*

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dupont Chemical Company

Eli Lilly and Company*

Federal Express

General Mills

Hain Celestial Foods

The Home Depot, Inc.

IBM

Johnson & Johnson

Kennecott Mining*

Go Smoke-Free, 

You’ll Be In Good Company!

International Truck and Engine

Corporation*

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.*

Marcal Paper Mills, Inc.

MCI Communications

Merck & Company

Nestle Purina PetCare Company

Nike, Inc.*

Proctor & Gamble

Prudential Financial

Scott Paper Company*

Sharper Image

Starbucks

Subaru Auto Assembly Plant (Indiana)

Target Corporation

Texas Instruments, Inc.

Tyson Foods

Union Pacific

Verizon

Westin Hotels
13

More facts and advice are available from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/tobacco. 

To order additional copies of this booklet, call:

Toll Free: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

In English, en Español

24 hours/day, 7 days/week

TTY: 1-888-232-6348

Additional information is available at:

www.surgeongeneral.gov.

For information to help your employees quit smoking, go to

www.smokefree.gov. To access a telephone quitline service in

your area, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).

Please note: If you would like to review the references for this publication,

you can download a referenced version by going to www.cdc.gov/tobacco.
1

1

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Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and

Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2000. 2

	 Hall, Jr., JR. The U.S. Smoking-Material Fire Problem. Quincy, MA:

National Fire Protection Association, November 2004. http://www.nfpa.

org/assets/files//PDF/ossmoking.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2006. 3

	 Javitz, HS, Zbikowski, SM, Swan, GE, Jack, LM. Financial

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Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;5(1):9–29. 4

	 HealthNowMA. Health Now! and the Business Community.

http://www.healthnowma.org. Accessed May 13, 2004. 5

	 Mudarri, DH. The Costs and Benefits of Smoking Restrictions: An

Assessment of the Smoke-Free Environment Act of 1993 (H.R.

3434). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency, Office

of Radiation and Indoor Air, Indoor Air Division, 1994. 6

	 Javitz, HS, Zbikowski, SM, Swan, GE, Jack, LM. Financial

burden of tobacco use: an employer’s perspective. Clinics in 

Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;5(1):9–29. 7

	 Building Owners and Managers Association. Smoking Position Paper. 

Washington, DC: Building Owners and Managers Association [no date].

http://www.boma.org/Advocacy/FederalLegislativeRegulatoryIssues/

Environment/SmokingPositionPaper.htm. Accessed January 23, 2006.

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21	Ibid.

22	Otsuka, R, Watanabe, H, Hirata, K et al. Acute effects of passive

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23	Pechacek, TF, Babb, S. Commentary: How acute and

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for

Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention

and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. 26	Ibid.

27	Samet, J, Bohanon, Jr., HR, Coultas, DB, Houston, T, Persily A, Schoen, L,

et al. Environmental Tobacco Smoke Position Document. Atlanta, GA:

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,

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ArticleAltFormat/20058211239_347.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2006. 28	National Cancer Institute. Population Based Smoking Cessation: Proceedings 

of a Conference on What Works to Influence Cessation in the General 

Population. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 12. Bethesda,

MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service,

National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 2000. http://

cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/12/. Accessed March 20, 2006. 29	Fichtenberg, CM, Glantz, SA. Effect of smoke-free workplaces

on smoking behaviour: systematic review. British Medical 

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content/full/325/7357/188. Accessed February 27, 2006.
1

30	Farrelly, MC, Evans, WN, Sfekas, AES. The impact of workplace smoking

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General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for

Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention

and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. 33	Samet, J, Bohanon, Jr., HR, Coultas, DB, Houston, T, Persily A, Schoen, L,

et al. Environmental Tobacco Smoke Position Document. Atlanta, GA:

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,

June 30, 2005. http://www.ashrae.org/content/ASHRAE/ASHRAE/

ArticleAltFormat/20058211239_347.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2006. 34	Shopland, DR, Anderson, CM, Burns, DM, Gerlach, KK. Disparities

in smoke-free workplace policies among food service workers. Journal 

of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004;46(4):347–356. 35	Fong, GT, Hyland, A, Borland, R, Hammond, D, Hastings, G, McNeill,

A, et al. Reductions in tobacco smoke pollution and increases in

support for smoke-free public places following the implementation

of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in the Republic

of Ireland: Findings from the ITC Ireland/UK survey. Tobacco 

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1

36	Colwell, B, Smith, D, Condon, K. Settling the smoke: Paso del

Norte Health Foundation status report on adult smoking in El

Paso—2001. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University System

Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health, 2002.

http://www.pdnhf.org/documents/134SmokeResearch.pdf.

37	Gilpin, EA, Pierce, JP. Changes in population attitudes about

where smoking should not be allowed: California versus

the rest of the USA. Tobacco Control 2004;13:38-44. 38	Interview of Beth Sammis, Director of Human Resources, Pet Food Experts,

Inc. (Cumberland, RI), conducted by Robin Hobart, Social and Health Services,

Ltd., Contractor to the Office on Smoking and Health; November 2005. 39	Learn-Andes, J. Company kicks habit and then some. The 

Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, PA. August 20, 2005. 40	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coverage for Tobacco Use 

Cessation Treatments. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human

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and Health, 2003. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/educational_materials/

cessation/ReimbursementBrochureFull.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2006. 41	Interview with Cathy Houser, Labor Relations Manager, Just Born, Inc.,

conducted by Robin Hobart, Social and Health Services, Ltd., Contractor

to the CDC Office on Smoking and Health; November 2005. 42	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing Tobacco 

Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and

Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2000.
20

43	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences 

of Involuntary Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon 

General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for

Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention

and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. 44	Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Corporate Smokefree

Policies; 2006. http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.

php?id=452. Accessed May 19, 2006.

	 This list was supplemented by newspaper clips and personal communications.
21