Barnhardt Worksite Goes Smoke-free

At one time, Barnhardt Manufacturing Company employees would light up their cigarettes and smoke wherever they wished — including restrooms and break rooms. Later, the company allowed smoking in only a designated indoor smoking room and four outdoor areas. All that changed in 2006, when one of the owners of the company, Lewis Barnhardt, instructed the Wellness Committee to start working on making the whole campus tobacco-free. Since January 2007, Barnhardt Manufacturing has been tobacco free.

“There are no ashtrays or anything that encourages anybody to smoke,” said Violet Leung, human resources director who has been working for the company for 24 years. “It’s hard to find a match stick here,” Leung explained. “When we had an employee cookout, we wanted to light a grill but could not even find a match stick or cigarette lighter.”

Established in 1900, the family-owned textile company employs a diverse workforce of 200 people - and it values their health. “A lot of the thought was ‘let’s get a healthier workplace for employees,’ ” said Stephen Sherrill, the campus safety and health director.

The shift was not done abruptly; the company gave employees a one year notice of the impending change in policy. The Wellness Committee comprised of representatives from all departments, posted signs and banners notifying employees of the effective date of the policy. “We tried to pull an employee from each department so that they would pass on the messages to the others,” Leung said.In an effort to help smokers through the difficult quitting process, the company partnered with a local hospital to provide cessation services.

Leung and Sherrill said the benefits of going tobacco-free are immense. The air around the campus is cleaner, there are no cigarettes butts littering the campus grounds, and the company is promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and habits. Some employees said they even started quitting before the policy was implemented. One of the employees who quit amid talk of the new policy was maintenance mechanic Brian Bush, who credits the company with helping him break his nicotine addiction. “It was something I thought about doing, but the policy helped, because there was no temptation for me to smoke again as no one was smoking at work anymore,” Bush said. “I think it’s a good policy; it can help people quit smoking.”

It surely helped shipping associate Daryle Compton, who had been smoking for 30 years. “It’s good for your health, and I am saving about a $100 per month that I used to buy a cartoon of cigarettes,” Compton said. Compton is aware of the changes in smoking policies at different places in the country and understands the need to protect people from secondhand smoke. Although there were some employees who did not support the policy, Leung said employees have been complying. When visiting Barnhardt Manufacturing, you can see that the company takes the health of its employees seriously as “no smoking” signs dot the campus, reminding everyone that lighting up is not an option.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tips for making your business smoke-free

Set up a task force to oversee the process. Include top management and workers (union representatives, if applicable); include nonsmokers, smokers, and former smokers.

Gather information to educate the task force and, eventually, the entire workforce. Survey your workers about their knowledge and concerns, so you can address them before your policy goes into effect.

Write the policy. Keep it clear and simple; the more straightforward the policy is, the easier it is to understand and enforce. Set up an enforcement policy that is consistent with other personnel policies and disciplinary procedures. The number of allowed breaks should be addressed under your company’s general break policy and should apply to all workers, smokers and nonsmokers alike.

Announce the policy several months before the start date with a letter from the owner or chief executive officer. Train managers on how to handle worker or customer concerns, questions and infractions, if they occur. Educate workers about the reasons for the policy by using resources like paycheck inserts, posters or company newsletters.

Monitor the policy. Have a point person in top management who tracks how the policy is going. Managers should report questions, concerns or infractions to this person.