Tobacco, Smoke, and Vape-Free Policy Development Guide

This tool is designed to guide you through the process of drafting a tobacco, smoke and vape-free policy for your organization. The form is laid out in the following sections:


Section 1: Contact Information - enter your contact information at the top of the form. This information will be used by SoonerQuit staff at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority should any follow-up or support be needed to finalize your policy.


Section 2: Policy Elements - A sample policy incorporating all recommended elements is built into this section of the form. Policy elements have been broken out as essential (minimum necessary to ensure a tobacco, smoke, and vape-free environment is created) and strongly recommended (best practice elements that serve to support the essential policy elements). Essential elements are built into the form, and may not be edited. Recommended elements may be dropped from the policy or edited to meet the needs, resources, and context of your organization.


Once you have made your element selections, submit the form. A member of the SoonerQuit team at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority will follow-up within one week to provide you a customized policy including only the elements you selected.


If you have any questions, or comments about this tool or your final product, please reach out to SoonerQuit staff at SoonerQuit@okhca.org.

Section 1: Contact Information

This email address will be used for any correspondence related to your submission.

Please provide the best number to reach you for clarification if needed.

Enter the name as you would like it to appear in the policy.

Section 2: Policy Elements

Review the policy elements below carefully. They represent a comprehensive tobacco, smoke, and vape-free policy.


All essential policy components are included and are not able to be edited.

All recommended policy components are included with a blue background. For each recommended component, you have the option to include the element, remove it, and/or edit it to align with your organization's individual needs, resources, and context.

Introduction

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 7,500 Oklahomans every year. As a health care organization we are committed to the health and safety of our employees, patients, and visitors.


In recognition of the fact that all forms of tobacco products are hazardous to human health and that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, it shall be the policy of [Organization Name] (the organization) to prohibit all use of tobacco products on our property at all times. This policy demonstrates our continued commitment to health and leadership in our community.

Recommended Element:*

This policy acknowledges the traditional and sacred use of tobacco among American Indian people living in Oklahoma. Whenever the word tobacco is used it refers to the use of commercial tobacco.


Would you like to include or remove this clarifying language from your policy?

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:


Organization Property means any real property that is owned, leased, managed, or otherwise controlled by the organization, including outdoor areas such as parking lots.


Employee means any person who performs work or services for the organization, including, but not limited to, full-time employees, part-time employees, temporary employees, independent contractors, subcontractors, volunteers, and interns.


Smoking means lighting tobacco, nicotine, marijuana or other products for consumption.


Tobacco Product means any product made or derived from tobacco that is intended for human consumption, including any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product (except for raw materials other than tobacco that are used in manufacturing a component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product). This includes e-cigarettes and vapor products. The term Tobacco Product does not include any product approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for sale as a tobacco cessation product.


Tobacco-, Smoke-, and Vape-Free Environment means the use of tobacco in any form is prohibited, and the use of tobacco, nicotine, marijuana or other products consumed in a smoked or vaporized manner is prohibited.


Vaping means using a device to heat, aerosolize, or vaporize tobacco, nicotine, marijuana or other products for consumption.

Recommended Element:*

Would you like to include or remove marijuana from the list of products that can not be smoked or vaped on organization property?

Applicability

This policy applies to every employee, visitor, vendor, and any other person present on organization property, at all times.

Prohibitions

The organization is committed to maintaining a tobacco-, smoke-, and vape-free environment, at all times; that means:


No one is allowed to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products anywhere on organization property.

Recommended Element:*

No one is allowed to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products in organization-owned or organization-leased vehicles.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

No one is allowed to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products in personal vehicles, while such vehicles are on organization property.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

No one is allowed to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products at any organization-sponsored meeting or event, including those held off-site.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

Employees are not allowed to smoke, vape, or use tobacco products while wearing their organizational name badge and/or organizational work uniform.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

Employees are not allowed to be present at work smelling of smoke or strong scents used to mask smoke on their clothing. Individuals not in compliance will be asked to remedy the situation, which may require the use of unpaid time.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

Ash receptacles, such as ash trays or ash cans, are not permitted on organization property, or within organization owned or leased vehicles.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

The organization will not accept any sponsorship from a tobacco company.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

The organization will not allow tobacco advertising or promotion on organization property or at any off-site organization-sponsored meeting or event.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Tobacco Cessation Support

Recommended Element:*

The organization will promote the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW or OKHelpline.com) to ensure awareness of the statewide services that are available.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

Employees are encouraged to quit tobacco. Those interested in quitting will be offered assistance, which may include cessation services from tobacco prevention department staff, and linkage with additional cessation resources, if available.


Would you like to include, remove, or edit this element?

Recommended Element:*

The organization will provide insurance benefits and access to the following types of assistance with no prior authorization or out-of-pocket cost to the employee:


Group, individual, and phone counseling:

  • A minimum of four counseling sessions of at least 10 minutes each per attempt.
  • Two quit attempts per year.


All Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cessation aids.



Would you like to include, remove, or edit this element?

Recommended Element:*

The organization will communicate and promote the available tobacco cessation benefits and insurance coverage for employees to all prospective employees, new employees at the time of hire, and all existing employees on an annual basis.


Would you like to include, remove, or edit this element?

Implementation, Support, and Enforcement

Recommended Element:*

Signs informing people of this policy shall be posted, at a minimum, at entrances to all buildings on organization property.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

A copy of this policy shall be included in the organization’s policy manual and employee training materials. Employees are responsible for familiarizing themselves with this policy. Employee compliance with this policy is mandatory.


Would you like to include or remove this element from your policy?

Recommended Element:*

A violation of this policy by an employee will be handled in accordance with the organization’s standard disciplinary procedure.


Would you like to include, remove, or edit this element?

Recommended Element:*

A violation of this policy by any person other than an employee shall be handled in the following manner:


  • Staff is encouraged to respectfully request visitors to dispose of their tobacco products. For those who may resist complying, staff is cautioned not to confront or engage in an argument, but rather to hand them a helpline information card.
  • Respectful enforcement of this policy is the responsibility of all employees.



Would you like to include, remove, or edit this element?

Adoption

We adopt this tobacco-, smoke- and vape-free policy and all that is associated with it regarding implementation and enforcement to take effect ____________________.

If unknown, leave blank.

If unknown, leave blank.

If unknown, leave blank.

If unknown, leave blank.

Additional Comments or Notes

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