Hospital....Smokers need not apply!

[saveliberty]

I think employers are making decisions about where they stand and employees or consumers can do the same. Thing is, I don't see where nonsmoking food establishments are hurting for business. Maybe bars and that might be the point that there is government over reach. We certainly want some type of reasonable limit here. Like some have mentioned already and rightfully so, does it extend to sugar use, how much you exercise or whatever?

 

[manifold]

First, Happy New Year Chanel!

My neighbor across the street smokes on her front porch and it ends up smelling up our front porch. That means the cancer causing agents are visiting me too.

And our neighbors use fabric softener and dryer sheets that reek up the whole neighborhood every time they do their laundry. The carcinogens in that shit are waaaay worse than second hand cigarette smoke. Look it up.

But whatcha gonna do?

 

[saveliberty]

Not sure where this cost not paid by the company thing comes in? My employer pays half of my premium and one quarter of my wife's. They also have gone to a high deductable, but cover the difference after the first $1,000 out of pocket.

 

[Sunshine]

I think employers are making decisions about where they stand and employees or consumers can do the same. Thing is, I don't see where nonsmoking food establishments are hurting for business. Maybe bars and that might be the point that there is government over reach. We certainly want some type of reasonable limit here. Like some have mentioned already and rightfully so, does it extend to sugar use, how much you exercise or whatever?

Possibly in the future.

 

[Sherry]

(CNN) -- A Pennsylvania hospital is expected to begin screening job applicants for signs of nicotine early next year, claiming it will not hire smokers, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.

Geisinger Health System -- a facility located in the eastern town of Danville -- will institute its no-nicotine policy on February 1, 2012, said Marcy Marshall.

Applicants that test positive will be offered help to quit and are encouraged to re-apply after six months, she said.

Smoking has been banned on Geisinger hospital grounds since 2007, added Marshall, who said the new program is part of a plan to make the hospital staff smoke free.

Secondhand smoke, she noted, will not result in a positive test.

Hospital: Smokers need not apply - CNN.com

I remember being a nursing student thinking I would die of suffocation from the staff smoking in the tiny report room. In those days staff smoked on the units. I wasn't sure how I would make it. But I moved to Nashville where Vanderbilt had just become a 'non smoking' facility. Smoking was permitted outside only. Soon other facilities followed.

Not surprised about this bit of news. The smoker is not particularly appealing to employers on various levels. This, no doubt, has more to do with the cost of employee health care than anything else.

Sad to say this is a slippery slope. It opens the door to not hire people for personal choices that do not effect work performance or private practices.


However on a different note about smokers and work. At one of my jobs everyone would go out for "smoking breaks" ...at 15-20 minutes at a time it was more then an hour per person. The non smokers were left holding the bag and doing more then their fair share of the work taking up the slack of the smokers. It was effecting productivity. I put an end to "smoking breaks". If they wanted to smoke they had to do it at lunch or on their regular breaks.

Yeah, that's how it is where I work, and it's annoying...I've joked that I should take up smoking so that I can have more breaks and go out to get sunshine and "fresh air".

 

[saveliberty]

First, Happy New Year Chanel!

My neighbor across the street smokes on her front porch and it ends up smelling up our front porch. That means the cancer causing agents are visiting me too.

And our neighbors use fabric softener and dryer sheets that reek up the whole neighborhood every time they do their laundry. The carcinogens in that shit are waaaay worse than second hand cigarette smoke. Look it up.

But whatcha gonna do?

For the new study, which focuses on chemicals emitted through laundry vents, researchers first purchased and pre-rinsed new, organic cotton towels. They asked two homeowners to volunteer their washers and dryers, cleaned the inside of the machines with vinegar, and ran full cycles using only water to eliminate as much residue as possible.

At the first home, they ran a regular laundry cycle and analyzed the vent fumes for three cases: once with no products, once with the leading brand of scented liquid laundry detergent, and finally with both the detergent and a leading brand of scented dryer sheets. A canister placed inside the dryer vent opening captured the exhaust 15 minutes into each drying cycle. Researchers then repeated the procedure with a different washer and dryer at a second home.

Analysis of the captured gases found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the vents. Of those, two chemicals – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level.

Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents — University of Washington - washington.edu

I didn't know that Mani, thanks.

 

[alan1]

So your company recruits people they know will push that cost up to the full $400K. Bravo! Less taxpayers have to cary!

Wow, you just drew a conclusion that was completely unrelated to anything I said.

That's how you made it sound. Bravo for your company!

I merely told you what my employer does with self-funding and stop-loss. Your conclusion about recruitment was completely unrelated to what I posted and an incredibly leap.

 

[alan1]

Hospital: Smokers need not apply - CNN.com

I remember being a nursing student thinking I would die of suffocation from the staff smoking in the tiny report room. In those days staff smoked on the units. I wasn't sure how I would make it. But I moved to Nashville where Vanderbilt had just become a 'non smoking' facility. Smoking was permitted outside only. Soon other facilities followed.

Not surprised about this bit of news. The smoker is not particularly appealing to employers on various levels. This, no doubt, has more to do with the cost of employee health care than anything else.

Sad to say this is a slippery slope. It opens the door to not hire people for personal choices that do not effect work performance or private practices.


However on a different note about smokers and work. At one of my jobs everyone would go out for "smoking breaks" ...at 15-20 minutes at a time it was more then an hour per person. The non smokers were left holding the bag and doing more then their fair share of the work taking up the slack of the smokers. It was effecting productivity. I put an end to "smoking breaks". If they wanted to smoke they had to do it at lunch or on their regular breaks.

Yeah, that's how it is where I work, and it's annoying...I've joked that I should take up smoking so that I can have more breaks and go out to get sunshine and "fresh air".

Some of the non-smokers where I work join me on my smoke breaks. They do it for sunshine and fresh air. (cept they don't join me when it's too hot, too cold and/or raining/snowing)

 

[Sherry]

Sad to say this is a slippery slope. It opens the door to not hire people for personal choices that do not effect work performance or private practices.


However on a different note about smokers and work. At one of my jobs everyone would go out for "smoking breaks" ...at 15-20 minutes at a time it was more then an hour per person. The non smokers were left holding the bag and doing more then their fair share of the work taking up the slack of the smokers. It was effecting productivity. I put an end to "smoking breaks". If they wanted to smoke they had to do it at lunch or on their regular breaks.

Yeah, that's how it is where I work, and it's annoying...I've joked that I should take up smoking so that I can have more breaks and go out to get sunshine and "fresh air".

Some of the non-smokers where I work join me on my smoke breaks. They do it for sunshine and fresh air. (cept they don't join me when it's too hot, too cold and/or raining/snowing)

I would love to be able to say that I'm having a wicked craving for some sunshine and step outside several times a day, but that would most certainly be frowned upon...addictions to sunshine are just not tolerated.

 

[alan1]

Yeah, that's how it is where I work, and it's annoying...I've joked that I should take up smoking so that I can have more breaks and go out to get sunshine and "fresh air".

Some of the non-smokers where I work join me on my smoke breaks. They do it for sunshine and fresh air. (cept they don't join me when it's too hot, too cold and/or raining/snowing)

I would love to be able to say that I'm having a wicked craving for some sunshine and step outside several times a day, but that would most certainly be frowned upon...addictions to sunshine are just not tolerated.

Holy crap.
Sunshine started this thread.
It's almost like a porn thread when you read the last few posts.

 

[Sherry]

Some of the non-smokers where I work join me on my smoke breaks. They do it for sunshine and fresh air. (cept they don't join me when it's too hot, too cold and/or raining/snowing)

I would love to be able to say that I'm having a wicked craving for some sunshine and step outside several times a day, but that would most certainly be frowned upon...addictions to sunshine are just not tolerated.

Holy crap.
Sunshine started this thread.
It's almost like a porn thread when you read the last few posts.

 

[Sunshine]

(CNN) -- A Pennsylvania hospital is expected to begin screening job applicants for signs of nicotine early next year, claiming it will not hire smokers, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.

Geisinger Health System -- a facility located in the eastern town of Danville -- will institute its no-nicotine policy on February 1, 2012, said Marcy Marshall.

Applicants that test positive will be offered help to quit and are encouraged to re-apply after six months, she said.

Smoking has been banned on Geisinger hospital grounds since 2007, added Marshall, who said the new program is part of a plan to make the hospital staff smoke free.

Secondhand smoke, she noted, will not result in a positive test.

Hospital: Smokers need not apply - CNN.com

I remember being a nursing student thinking I would die of suffocation from the staff smoking in the tiny report room. In those days staff smoked on the units. I wasn't sure how I would make it. But I moved to Nashville where Vanderbilt had just become a 'non smoking' facility. Smoking was permitted outside only. Soon other facilities followed.

Not surprised about this bit of news. The smoker is not particularly appealing to employers on various levels. This, no doubt, has more to do with the cost of employee health care than anything else.

Sad to say this is a slippery slope. It opens the door to not hire people for personal choices that do not effect work performance or private practices.


However on a different note about smokers and work. At one of my jobs everyone would go out for "smoking breaks" ...at 15-20 minutes at a time it was more then an hour per person. The non smokers were left holding the bag and doing more then their fair share of the work taking up the slack of the smokers. It was effecting productivity. I put an end to "smoking breaks". If they wanted to smoke they had to do it at lunch or on their regular breaks.

Years ago, I worked for a guy who had quit smoking. He said it wasn't hard because in reality, he had never even wanted to smoke. He started smoking in the service because the smokers got to sit down 5 minutes every hour to smoke. So he started smoking just to get the break.

I don't really know about workplace breaks. I don't take breaks, but just work on through. That, IMO, is part of being a professional. I do eat lunch, though, because I don't feel well if I skip lunch. Our clerks take their breaks and I think they should get them. I know it gets old having to deal with the demands of people at the front desk. The same people that will come in and chew them up one side and down the other wouldn't even think of doing to to me because they see me as an authority figure.

 

[manifold]

I'd be ok with this flavor of discrimination if all flavors were allowed. But I think it's wrong to allow this but not allow discrimination against homosexuals for example.

 

[Sunshine]

First, Happy New Year Chanel!

My neighbor across the street smokes on her front porch and it ends up smelling up our front porch. That means the cancer causing agents are visiting me too.

And our neighbors use fabric softener and dryer sheets that reek up the whole neighborhood every time they do their laundry. The carcinogens in that shit are waaaay worse than second hand cigarette smoke. Look it up.

But whatcha gonna do?

For the new study, which focuses on chemicals emitted through laundry vents, researchers first purchased and pre-rinsed new, organic cotton towels. They asked two homeowners to volunteer their washers and dryers, cleaned the inside of the machines with vinegar, and ran full cycles using only water to eliminate as much residue as possible.

At the first home, they ran a regular laundry cycle and analyzed the vent fumes for three cases: once with no products, once with the leading brand of scented liquid laundry detergent, and finally with both the detergent and a leading brand of scented dryer sheets. A canister placed inside the dryer vent opening captured the exhaust 15 minutes into each drying cycle. Researchers then repeated the procedure with a different washer and dryer at a second home.

Analysis of the captured gases found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the vents. Of those, two chemicals – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level.

Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents — University of Washington - washington.edu

I didn't know that Mani, thanks.

I don't use fabric softener sheets. I think they ALL stink. I use very little liquid fabric softener. There are some things which I iron and they iron more easily if I have used a little softener. But fabric softener, IMO, generally doesn't.. AND it keeps the towels from absorbing water properly. My detergent is 'free' meaning it has no fragrance added because the fragrance on clothes makes me cough and itch. I used cloth diapers with my children and my oldest was allergic to fabric softener. The fewer chemicals I put in my laundry, the better I like the end result. I don't do these things for environmental reasons, just personal reasons. I find these products are over sold in the ads and cause more problems than they prevent.

 

[Sunshine]

I'd be ok with this flavor of discrimination if all flavors were allowed. But I think it's wrong to allow this but not allow discrimination against homosexuals for example.

LOL.

 

[manifold]

I'd be ok with this flavor of discrimination if all flavors were allowed. But I think it's wrong to allow this but not allow discrimination against homosexuals for example.

LOL.

Homosexual men are more likely to contract HIV which makes their expected health care costs higher than straight men, all else equal. Why is that different than this?

 

[Foxfyre]

The easiest way to handle the insurance issues is to promote a system in which each individual owns his/her own insurance policy. There could still be groups to spread the cost and make insurance more affordable but have the people own their policies instead of their employers. The employers could still contribute some or all of the premium cost if they wanted to, but when the employee leaves, the policy goes with him/her. And now the premium becomes a negotiation between the insurance company and the individual. If there are higher premiums for smokers or the company won't insure smokers, then it is up to the individual to make choices about that.

As for the employers, I have no problem with height/weight requirements when such affects the person's ability to do a job. I have no problem with zero tolerance for controlled substances on the job and that would include tobacco and alcohol as those can affect performance and/or increase risks on ANY job. Again it is up to the individual to choose to comply with the employers' requirements or find someplace else to work or go into business for himself/herself where s/he can do whatever she wants.

Many years ago when between 'career opportunities' I took what I expected to be a temporary job as a medical transcriber in the radiology department at the local hospital. Turned out I stayed there two years and enjoyed it immensely, but that's another story. I was a smoker at that time and was allowed to smoke at my desk. I've been smoke free for more than 20 years now, but thinking back on that time how ridiculous it was for me and most of the other radiology employees to be chain smoking while giving x-rays to people with lung damage, cancers, heart problems, etc. etc. etc., many of which were likely caused or exacerbated by smoking.

So I guess I support a no smoking policy at any hospital. And those who simply MUST smoke should know that sooner or later they will likely test positive for nicotine. Those who MUST smoke should simply find someplace else to work.

(I adamently OPPOSE the government requiring a general mandate that there be no smoking anywhere and for everybody or on private property, however.)

 

[Sunshine]

I'd be ok with this flavor of discrimination if all flavors were allowed. But I think it's wrong to allow this but not allow discrimination against homosexuals for example.

LOL.

Homosexual men are more likely to contract HIV which makes their expected health care costs higher than a straight men, all else equal. Why is that different than this?

OK, I'll just have to brace for the ass kicking I'll get over this: I don't really think people who are HIV positive should be working in heatlh care settings that are likely to result in patient exposure to the disease. When this disease was new, I was new in health care then, but I can tell you that people went completely ape shit over it. IMO the courts bent over too far backward and ignored the health risks to those of us who don't have the disease. I have had my share of needle sticks and blood exposures, and so I know how lucky I have been. In the early days of my psych career when I worked on inpatient psych units I had to give injections to HIV+ patients who were struggling and being held down by other staff. Real risky for me. And for other staff.. I know I am lucky. But if I had ever tested positive from a needle stick I would have found some other area to work very quickly that would not result in possible exposure of the patients. It's just the decent thing to do. However, there are a lot of people who just aren't interested in the decent thing to do and want their way regardless who it hurts!

 

[Douger]

Who needs tobacco when you can raid the lockup for Oxycontin !

 

[Foxfyre]

LOL.

Homosexual men are more likely to contract HIV which makes their expected health care costs higher than a straight men, all else equal. Why is that different than this?

OK, I'll just have to brace for the ass kicking I'll get over this: I don't really think people who are HIV positive should be working in heatlh care settings that are likely to result in patient exposure to the disease. When this disease was new, I was new in health care then, but I can tell you that people went completely ape shit over it. IMO the courts bent over too far backward and ignored the health risks to those of us who don't have the disease. I have had my share of needle sticks and blood exposures, and so I know how lucky I have been. In the early days of my psych career when I worked on inpatient psych units I had to give injections to HIV+ patients who were struggling and being held down by other staff. Real risky for me. I know I am lucky. But if I had ever tested positive from a needle stick I would have found some other area to work very quickly that would not result in possible exposure of the patients. It's just the decent thing to do. However, there are a lot of people who just aren't interested in the decent thing to do and want their way regardless who it hurts!

You won't get an ass kicking from me. People with any communicable diseases should not be in occupations in which they could put others at unnecessary risk. And I say that with the utmost compassion for those who are HIV positive having lost more than my fair share of friends and family to AIDS and currently know that two individuals very dear to me are HIV positive which is always a concern.

I do question that homosexual men who are not HIV positive are charged higher insurance premiums, however. While HIV is frequently on medical questionnaires regarding an insurance application, I have NEVER seen an insurance application that asked a person to state their sexual orientation.