City government employees in Wilmington could be on notice for a tobacco-free workplace policy starting in 2014—though it’s just a loose discussion at this point.
To support a healthier workforce and reduce healthcare expenses, city staffers from a joint committee on employee benefits and wellness on Monday presented stats and projections on banning the use of cigarettes, pipes, cigars and chewing tobacco on city government property.
“We’re not saying you can’t” ever use tobacco products, city Wellness Committee Chairman Dave Mayes said at a work session with the Wilmington City Council. “But you can’t do it when you’re at city facilities and you’re on the clock.”
Generally, the policy if enacted–and it’s merely in the talking stage–would affect the 18-percent or more of the city’s workforce who consume tobacco in some form. The city derived that figure from wellness assessments conducted with employees a year ago. Those workers, including contracted personnel and temporary employees, would not be allowed to smoke or dip on or in any city property, including parking lots, garages, leased properties, and city vehicles.
Ultimately the city would like to reduce the $8 million it spends annually in health insurance costs. Citing state and national research, Mayes said smokers incur an average of 18 percent more in healthcare expenses and take 2.5 more sick days annually. He said employers can account for 18.2 workdays per year lost simply through employee smoke breaks.
“Employees who smoke cost their employers a little better than $1,760 in lost production per year,” Mayes told council.
If the city had an entirely smoke-free workforce, he noted, it could potentially save nearly $300,000 a year in claims. The number would grow if employees’ dependents eliminated the habit.
“These are just some facts about tobacco to make the case that we need a tobacco-free workplace,” said Mayes, adding that tobacco use is the top cause of preventable death in North Carolina.
According to the N.C. Alliance for Health, an independent wellness coalition focused mostly on obesity and tobacco use, smoking costs North Carolina taxpayers $2.46 billion in direct healthcare costs and $3.5 billion in productivity losses each year.
The city, if it moves forward with the plan as presented, would attempt to help employees stem or kick tobacco use. According to its Wellness Committee, anyone on the city’s Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan who is at least 18 years of age would be able to take smoking cessation classes and join support groups. They could also, for a limited time, get free nicotine patches and prescriptions like Zyban and Chantix.
In another recommendation, the city may budget incentives, like insurance premium reductions, for employees who pursue those routes or simply quit smoking altogether.
“What was the reaction of the public safety personnel to this discussion?” Mayor Pro Tem Earl Sheridan asked Mayes Monday as police and fire department employees are technically always on the clock during their shifts.
“There was certainly some dissention and uncertainty from the members of those committees about that issue,” said Mayes, “but nevertheless, it’s still being presented to you today as written.”
While the recommendations were not in any resolution form and are subject to change, council members Monday gave limited comments. Mayor Bill Saffo did, however, quip about what could be next.
“I guess the next thing that will be coming is McDonald’s and how we eat and everything,” Saffo said, generating some laughter from officials around him. “Because that’s a big issue,” he continued. “The obesity issue is a big issue. I’m just asking questions.”
The city’s committees said the latest recommendation was modeled on others like the campus-wide smoking ban New Hanover Regional Medical Center has in place, though that one covers everybody—employees, patients, visitors, tenants and contracted personnel alike.
Assistant City Attorney Meredith Everhart noted that Wilmington already has prohibition in place on any member of the public smoking in city buildings and vehicles, including city buses.
