Should Vaping Be Allowed at Workplace?

There is no federal law that prohibits smoking in the workplace. However, some states have regulations that restrict smoking to only outdoor areas of the workplace. In contrast, others forbid it entirely by giving employers the liberty to designate a smoking area within the premises. 

Nevertheless, many employers have banned smoking in their workplaces. And with the increased migration of smokers into the vaping world, vaping is now posing a new issue for most employers because they are skeptical about its effect on an employee’s health and productivity.

What Are E-Cigarettes?

E-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes are vaporizers or nicotine delivery systems that resemble traditional cigarettes or a pen-like the freemax mesh pro coils that are refillable. Each time it is puffed, the user inhales substances that contain nicotine or other chemicals. The use of these devices is known as vaping.

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Is Vaping Allowed in the Workplace?

Electronic cigarettes are outside the scope of these anti-smoke regulations. And presently, no federal law prevents vaping in the workplace. Despite this fact, many businesses have banned e-cigarettes in the workplace, claiming that it poses health risks to vape users and others. 

This trend wasn’t accepted with smiles by the vaping community. Over the years, we have seen many top brands, influencers, and vape lovers advising that employers should relax their laws against vaping in the workplace. 

This is mainly because most e-cigarette promoters see vaping as a milder alternative to smoking. And if it is not regulated, it may encourage many smokers to become vapers and reduce their vulnerability to specific health challenges.

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This does not mean that vaping is harmless. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared that vaping could potentially harm others and benefit others. Smokers transitioning to vaping might be tempted to see vaping as a calmer and healthier way of getting the hits. 

Medical experts are yet to confirm whether vaping is a beneficial way to quit smoking. The FDA has not approved the use of e-cigarettes as an effective way to cure smoking addiction.

Still, experts can’t pinpoint the level of risks linked to each vaping device. Nevertheless, the CDC has opined that vaping (whether it is done in the workplace or not) is harmful to pregnant women, children, and adults, especially those new to nicotine inhalation.

According to the American Lung Association, vape users may endanger the lives of others due to second-hand emission risks. In addition, E-cigarettes are harmful to human health, just as traditional smoking. But whether or not they should be allowed in the workplace is a question for the authorities and employers to decide.

State and Local Laws on Vaping in Workplace

Depending on the state, employers may have the discretion to treat vaping issues as they want. But they should consider local and state laws with regards to vaping before developing their organizational policy. 

States such as Delaware, Maine, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, and North Dakota prohibit vaping in places where smoking is banned. In addition, some local municipalities have banned vaping in enclosed work areas even when the state does not prohibit it. 

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Therefore, if a state hasn’t prohibited smoking or vaping in the workplace, employers should take a further step to check local laws in the jurisdiction of the business to ensure they aren’t going against them. 

When there are no states or local laws that prohibit vaping, employers have the freedom to develop their policies regarding e-cigarettes use in the workplace. However, businesses in a unionized environment may need to work with the existing union in their local area to develop a policy regarding vaping in the workplace.

Developing Policies on Vaping

To date, most employers don’t have an explicit policy on vaping. In contrast, others always refer to their smoking policies when dealing with e-cigarette use cases in the workplace. Employers should ensure they understand their organizational policies and culture to ensure they adopt policies that would help them meet their business goals.

However, such policies should also consider the health and psychological needs of employees. An employee’s lawful rights shouldn’t be ignored either. 

Employers must remember that vaping may enhance an employee’s productivity at work or lower it drastically (depending on how the body reacts to inhaling chemical compounds like nicotine). 

But even though vape users are allowed to vape, what about the effects on non-users? Most workers may react negatively to chemical emissions and smoke from these vaping devices. And some may fall ill shortly after inhaling third-party smoke from an e-cigarette.

Also, employers must consider other safety issues that could arise in the workplace due to the heating and ignition of elements in the e-cigarettes.

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Should Vaping Be Allowed?

Employers with existing smoking policies should evaluate them to ensure they specifically exclude or include the use of e-cigarettes. If its use is not permitted, then the areas under ban must be specified with visible signs for employees to see.

If a workplace has a clean air policy, they should educate the employees on these policies even before they employ them. And when these policies change in the future, employees must be duly notified at least 60 days before the change. 

There is a consensus that vaping is better than smoking. Although this claim is not medically proven, employers must decide whether or not they should permit vaping in the workplace in the absence of any local or state laws.