The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: . Now the Italian law ask all employers to get smoke free workplace, but in Italy, also to achieve what the law rules, is usually a long way.

Methods: To defend public health from ETS, the National Cancer Institute of Milan (INT) make a proposal of “certification of smoke free company” like a tool to improve the civil right to health also in workplace.

Steps of certification.

1) The Company decide to be smoke free and ask for the INT intervention. 2) Our intervention starts with a survey on employees' attitude about tobacco smoking in workplace and with the communication of the news rules. 3) Organization of training workshop for middle management. 4) Information to all the employees (meetings, booklet) about the right to work without ETS and the offer of cessation services for the smokers. 5) X day: the company become smoke free and our INT equipe certified it with measurement of particulate matter in the building and with a new survey on the employees about the respect of the new rules. 6) The certification of the National Cancer Institute runs for three years and the company pays for it the work of the technicians and a free offer for research on tobacco related cancers.

Results: This program was planned after four interventions in private and public companies with a total of 1950 employees and will be launched like a Certification on 2006 may, 31st.