Below is WorksafeBC’s regulations regarding smoking in vehicles.
Each production has a safety hotline where you can anonymously report those that are smoking in vehicles and/or vehicles that have been smoked in. Please familiarize yourselves with your own production’s applicable hotline numbers for a safe workplace environment.
Requirements of the provincial TVPCA and TVPCR:
The provincial government has enacted provisions, under the auspices of the Minister of Health, to control smoking and e-cigarette use under the TVPCA, which became effective September 1, 2016. Each regional health authority has tobacco enforcement officers who are responsible for enforcement of the TVPCA and TVPCR.
Some of the main provisions are outlined below – additional information about the TVPCA and TVPCR is available by clicking here.
· In workplaces and public spaces which are “fully or substantially enclosed,” smoking and e-cigarette use is prohibited. These workplaces and public spaces include offices, industrial establishments, restaurants, bars, pubs, night clubs, and bingo halls. The prohibition also applies to all vehicles used for business purposes, such as buses, taxis, and work or commercial trucks. In addition, it applies to a workplace located in a private dwelling during any period in which a person performs services in return for compensation.
· A place is “fully or substantially enclosed” if it has a roof or other covering, and more than 50% of the nominal wall space is enclosed by any material that does not permit air to flow easily through it. The “nominal wall space” is the area determined by calculating the length, in metres of the perimeter of the building, structure, vehicle, or place, and multiplying it by 2.7 metres. (Note: Ministry of Health officials advise that the nominal wall space concept is best applied to walls that are more than 2.7 metres high, when covered by a roof.)
· Smoking and using an e-cigarette are also prohibited in transit shelters, and in common areas of apartment buildings, condominiums, and dormitories.