US: Guam Public Health Says No to Smokers

Source from:  Pacific Daily News (gu)  12/20/2012

Effective immediately, the Department of Public Health and Social Services will not hire people who smoke.

The department announced the new policy in a press release sent out late yesterday afternoon, citing an interest in "the health and well-being of its employees."

"U.S. health care costs that can be traced to smoking are placed at $96 billion a year," said the release. "That works out to $300 for every man, woman and child in the country."

James Gillan, director of Public Health, couldn't be reached to comment on the new policy.

Richard Colfax, a professor of human resources in the Department of Business and Public Administration at the University of Guam, said this policy is popular among private businesses.

That's partly because it reduces health-related costs for businesses.

Colfax said smokers are more likely to get sick and miss work than their non-smoking colleagues.

According to a study titled "Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Susceptibility to the Common Cold," published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine website, susceptibility to colds is increased by smoking.

"Smokers were at greater risk for developing colds than nonsmokers because smokers were more likely both to develop infections and to develop illness following infection," researchers stated.

Smokers, on average, miss 6.16 days of work per year due to sickness (including smoking-related acute and chronic conditions), compared to nonsmokers, who miss 3.86 days of work per year, according to another study titled "Impact of smoking status on workplace absenteeism and productivity."

Furthermore, smokers also tend to have more down time than non-smokers due to their frequent smoke breaks, he said.

"People who have the addiction to tobacco have a physical need to smoke," he said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost of lost production time for each employee who smokes is $1,760 and $1,623 in excess of medical expenditures.

Colfax said he didn't believe any legal protections prevented businesses from not hiring smokers.

While businesses can't bar the hiring of individuals who might require frequent visits to the hospital -- such as those with pre-existing medical conditions -- smoking isn't considered one of those conditions, Colfax said.

The Americans with Disabilities Act protects potential employees with disabilities or pre-existing medical conditions, Colfax said.

The professor said the new policy most likely won't affect smokers currently employed at Public Health.

Colfax said he thinks the policy is a good one and likely will become more widespread throughout the country, citing other countries -- such as Japan -- that have strict health policies.

"It's a trend toward having a healthier workplace," he said. Enditem