La Loi sur le tabac (décembre 1999) et les paradoxes de son application dans les milieux usiniers

• Main Author: Julie Dussault
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail (IRSST) 2005-05-01
• Series: Perspectives Interdisciplinaires sur le Travail et la Santé
• Subjects: smoking; work; plant; work environment; case study
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/pistes/3201

The Tobacco Act (1999), which is intended to reduce smoking by banning the use of tobacco at work, has emphasized the urgent need to question the Act’s repercussions in various workplaces.A review of the literature on restrictions on the use of tobacco at work shows that recent, primarily quantitative studies are designed to measure the efficiency of bans and restrictions, or to identify work characteristics related to smoking. A greater prevalence of smoking among plant workers (blue collar workers) suggests the focus should be on this population.Two original exploratory case studies were conducted (summer 2002) in two unionized plants.The research findings show how plant workers perceive the Act. They feel it is illogical that an act intended to improve health is enforced in workplaces considered as taking a lax approach to the quality of the work environment. The research revealed that it is important to consider the issue of the quality of the work environment as a whole.