Article published on Vapingpost - Author: Diane Caruana - Translator: The Vape Club
Following the conclusion that vaping is 95% safer than smoking, PHE has released guidance for staff to ensure smokers who are switching to vaping feel supported and encouraged to quit their deadly habit.
PHE is recommending that employers allow vapers to have a little more time off, as vaping delivers less nicotine than smoking so they need to use more. Businesses are being urged to designate a special room in their homes for vapers, as forcing vapers to use their devices outside with smokers will undermine their efforts to quit. It has been reported that e-cigarette smoke can irritate people with respiratory conditions, which is why they need a separate space for vaping.
PHE recommends that vapers who can vape in the workplace should be kept in a separate area.
Another reason to discourage vaping indoors is to limit public exposure. We have seen that forcing smokers to use cigarettes outdoors has led to children being exposed to the practice, which should be avoided when vaping. The only place vaping should be banned is in schools or other workplaces where children are present, according to the guidelines.
Vaping is the most popular method to help quit smoking in the UK
In a paper, Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health at PHE, said, “the evidence that vaping is safer than smoking and that e-cigarettes help smokers quit is clear”, suggesting PHE has abandoned its previous reservations about e-cigarettes.
Articles show vaping is popular in the UK
The organisation said there are 2.8 million e-cigarette users in the UK, most of them current and former smokers and some teenagers who have picked up the habit. This makes vaping more appealing for those who want to quit harmful tobacco products. The information was first announced at a conference on 6 July in collaboration with Cancer Research UK.
PHE has highlighted the distinction between smoking and vaping, reminding employers that this distinction should be taken into account when creating workplace policies, so that the benefits and harms associated with such policies can be clearly considered.
