h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The one thing that gets up my nose, or more accurately: in my lungs, are smokers who insist on poisoning us all.

If you're a smoker who only smokes in a little room shut off from humanity: good for you, you're killing yourself but at least you're not bringing anyone else down with you.

But sharing air with smokers is made a billion times worse by the smell! I've been in restaurants where the smoke has been so disguting, I couldn't SMELL nor TASTE my food.

There is absolutely NO reason why there shouldn't be a ban on smoking in public places! None at all! A cigarette will work just as well in your flat or house as well as it would work in a pub or restaurant!

A smoker can choose whether they smoke or not. A passive smoker can't.

So why do smokers have a right to smoke, when non-smokers don't have the right to not be forced to passively smoke?

I live in California. We've banned smoking in public facilities. And we're better off for it.

Sometimes when I'm outside, though, I'll happen by someone who blows a cloud of smoke in my face, completely unaware that they're doing anything wrong. At those times, I wish I had just eaten five bowls of lentil soup. I'd jam my ass into their faces and fart for 10 seconds straight.

It's the ethical equivalent.

Hear hear. I don't make you eat my snot, don't make me breath your smoke.

sorry, has smoking been made illegal? until that happens, i will continue to smoke outside.

i have no problems at all smoking outside my office (i work in a priceless, wooden rennie mackintosh building, so its not really an option) i don't mind being an snout-cast. in fact, i quite like it; smokers have all the best gossip and at least we take our contractually obliged tea breaks!

passive bullsh*t is a far more insidious and damaging danger!

We have 3 people who regually (once an hour) fo for fag breaks together (normally lasting 10 mins). Aside from the personal problems caused (girl and one of the guys got togther and left his children + financee) - think opf the money they are cousting the company.

For 3 11 min breaks a day, it costs about £21 ofr 3 people. Then gnerally somebody needs to contact one of them, so wasting their time, roughtly £120 a week for 3 people to go on fag breaks. This is only their wages and doesn't include other charges to the company such as Nat Ins payments etc.

These 3 people cost the compnay almost £7,000 a year in fag breaks but insist it is their god-given write to have them and come back sticking of tobbaco

I would point out that in the UK at least, anyone that works at a computer is required to take a 5 minute break every hour anyway. We just get something more interesting to do than wander 'round the office.

it is their right to have breaks. does it not say somewhere, buried deep within health and safety at work legislation that you are entitled to one 15 minute break for every 4 hours you work?

sour grapes from non smokers that they don't take theirs?

It's a 'screen' break, not a 'work' break.

I thought it was 20 minutes for every 6 hours?

5 mins screen break an hour, 20 mins work break every 6

If you're classified as a 'DSE user', ie, someone who uses a computer terminal for the majority of the day, you are suppsoed to take a 5min break every hour, as of the beginning of this year. I can find the HSE code it's laid ou in if you like. It's not just a sreen break either, you're supposed to stand up and walk around, not just stop looking at the screen to handwrite something. Besides, I *work* when I'm smoking- I've just been discussing a project's up-coming workload in the smoking shelter.

http://www.seacwu.freeuk.com/cwu7.htm

There we go.

Great news

*wanders off for five minutes*

Which you are perfectly entitled to do, and it's work's time, so you're paid for wandering around.

yeah, more often that not, when we're not talking about what happened in eastenders the night before as if it were real, we're talking about work! sometimes its the only way we find out about anything.

It is not plesant to be in the vicinity of a during or just after they have smoked. It should be the right of the non-smoker to protect themself from discomfort and health issues.

End of story.