I would think that OSHA could help St. Paul out as we discuss bans. A response letter from OSHA to an inquiry on cigarette smoke affecting workers - to paraphrase - rarely are workers exposed to smoke levels that exceed OSHA standards. - Phil Fuehrer, Highwood Hills. ------------------------------- April 7, 1998 Mr. Leroy J. Pletten 8401 18 Mile Road Apartment #29 Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Dear Mr. Pletten: This is in response to your letter of February 28, to President Clinton, concerning application of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) air contaminants standard, 29 CFR 1910.1000, to regulate worker exposure to tobacco smoke. OSHA does attempt to regulate worker exposure to tobacco smoke by applying 29 CFR 1910.1000. However, we rarely find that worker exposures exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for carbon monoxide or any other pertinent PEL in the standard. Thank you for relating your suggestion for protecting workers from exposure to tobacco smoke. Sincerely, John B. Miles, Jr. Director Directorate of Compliance Programs --- Guy Western <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Looks like it's time to remind everyone that the > smoking ban was introduced > to protect the health of bar and restaurant workers > who don't have the > liberty of choosing to work exclusively in the no > smoking section or > limiting the time of their exposure to less than an > hour. > > I understand the frustration of those who are > anxious to make every issue > fit the free market bumper sticker that declares no > government is necessary > in the free market utopia where the free market > governs itself > satisfactorily in all matters. For all the > glittering generalities about > the free market in America, the labor market here is > decidedly not free. > > There are many areas, such as air & water quality, > product safety, > engineering quality, food and drug purity, that just > don't reduce > themselves to simplistic notions of economic > anarchy. There are issues > that can't be reduced to an accounting line in the > quarterly statement and > this is one of them. Consumer choice is not > adequate as a final arbiter of > employee health. > > I don't know how compelling a boycott would be to > patrons who are given the > choice between immediate starvation and a half hour > of exposure before they > return to their own smoke-free-by-law workplaces. I > do know, however, that > the time and manner by which workers may boycott in > their own interest is > among the most highly regulated, adjudicated and > carefully policed > acitivities there is in America. > > And so I say, "boycott, schmoycott". > > Guy Western > the West Side > > > [Original Message] > > From: John Harris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: Mike Fratto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Date: 7/29/04 8:04:17 AM > > Subject: Re: [StPaul] The Power of Boycott > > > > > Ah! John, a great suggestion. > > > > I agree, a great suggestion. I still say business > will accomodate the > > anti-smokers when they see the money flow. this > could be a demonstration > of > > that. > > > > > The fact that a non-smoker will sit in the > smoking section tells me > > > that attempting to have an effective boycott > will not work because > > > there are those who would still use the > establishment. > > > > > > Thus those who are adamant about non-smoking > will boycott the > > > establishment. But I would bet that most people > would not. > > > > > > > This tells me that if the above it true, either > people are impatient > enough > > that they would endanger their health (given you > believe that 2nd hand > smoke is > > dangerous) in order not to have to wait another 20 > minutes. it could > mean that > > people don't believe that the danger is that real. > > > > > > john harris > > webber-camden in soon to be smoke free mpls > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail > SpamGuard. > > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail > > _____________________________________________ > > To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > _____________________________________________ > > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your > password - visit: > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > > > Archive Address: > > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > > > _____________________________________________ > To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your > password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! 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