Objectives

The objectives of the Project are:

•  To undertake a health and community sector led campaign to address health inequalities related to tobacco in the ACT

•  To provide targeted capacity building support for health and community services to implement sustainable workplace tobacco management policies

•  To improve the capacity and confidence of health and community sector workers to manage tobacco in the workplace and support clients / consumers

 

The Key Strategies of the Project are:

•  To promote the campaign across the ACT and to targeted services

•  To recruit and engage Project Partners

•  To develop Project campaign materials, including a website, to promote the Project, partnering services and available support

•  To develop and implement a range of resources and support for Project Partners including:

•• A template workplace tobacco management policy that can be adapted to organisational contexts

•• Access to subsidised nicotine replacement therapy for workers to help manage their tobacco consumption in the workplace

•• Signage and promotional materials

•• Access to subsidised training and resources for staff

 

The Evidence for this Approach

Reducing the harms from workplace smoking is everyone’s business and taking a workplace approach to managing tobacco works to promote health and prevent harms.

• Although smoking causes harms across all populations, particular groups are disproportionately affected. For example, people who are homeless, have mental health and/or alcohol and other drug problems are some groups with very high rates of smoking

• Given this, health and community services provide a highly effective environment in which to challenge these structural inequities and better manage tobacco for not only disadvantaged groups, but also for our workforce

 

The Under 10% Project approach is informed by a strong research evidence-base including the successful ACT Workplace Tobacco Management Pilot Project, which aimed to:

Increase awareness, and support the implementation of workplace tobacco management policies and reduce the impact of smoking behaviours for workers in nine programs within the mental health, alcohol, tobacco and other drug and youth sectors.

An external evaluation of the project model found that “This is a Project that could well serve as a model to others, and warrants being scaled up and applied in many other workplaces.” For more information see: www.atoda.org.au/projects/tobacco/

 

Project Partner Roles

As an Under 10% Project Partner, health and community services will, with support from the Project Team, develop and implement a workplace tobacco management policy that includes the following 5 commitments:

1. Be a smokefree workplace (with optional designated smoking area/s)

2. Formalise the service position that workers will not smoke whilst on duty (if workers choose to smoke they will have to take unpaid breaks to do so)

3. Formalise the service position that workers will not smoke with clients / consumers

4. Promote access to tobacco information and resources to workers, visitors and clients / consumers

5. Communicate the tobacco management policy through displaying signs and posters in the workplace

 

Project Team Support

The Project Team will provide Project Partners with the following supports:

• Planning and evaluation: Including going support from the Under 10% Project Team, including face-to-face meetings; an Activities Checklist to support work planning, implementation and monitoring; and evaluation and monitoring tools, including an organisational survey

• Policy:  Including a template Workplace Tobacco Management Policy can be adapted to Project Partners’ needs

• Subsidised Nicotine Replacement Therapy:  All Project Partner workers can access nicotine replacement therapy to help manage nicotine withdrawal in the workplace and support compliance with the new policy

• Signage and promotion:  Including template signage and promotional materials; and public acknowledgement as a Project Partner through Under 10% promotional and community activities

• Training and Tools: Including access to subsidised tailored training to support workers to better understand the new policy, tobacco related harms and engaging with clients / consumers regarding tobacco; tobacco resources and ‘Quitpacks’; and access to other tools, including screening and brief interventions

 

Project Management

The Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA), the peak body for the non-government and government alcohol, tobacco and other drug sector in the ACT, manages the Project. The Project is funded by the ACT Health Promotion Grants and runs until 30 June 2014. It is hoped that the Project will be able to continue beyond this date.

 

Evaluation

An evaluation framework for the Project will be developed and implemented with Project Partners.

 

Further Information

Under 10% Project

Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Association ACT (ATODA)

Phone: (02) 6255 4070

Email: tobacco@atoda.org.au

Website: www.under10percent.org.au or www.atoda.org.au

Version 1, 2013

 

References

[1] Lovett, R. (2011). Workplace Tobacco Management Project: Research Findings (Evaluation Report). Canberra: Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA).

[2] Richter, K. (2006). Good and Bad Times for Treating Cigarettes Smoking in Drug Treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Vol 38, no.3. pp. 311-316

 

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Last updated 7 November 2013