UAE launches tobacco-free workplace guide

The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention is taking further measures to create tobacco-free workplaces and combat smoking-related hazards.

It has launched a comprehensive guide with instructions for managers and staff on establishing a smoke-free environment, procedures for handling violations and helping employees quit smoking.

The handbook, developed by the ministry's National Tobacco Control Programme, also outlines the detrimental effects of smoking on individual health and the environment, along with the benefits of quitting.

The UAE enacted federal law no. 15 of 2009 on combatting tobacco, followed by comprehensive executive regulations governing all tobacco-related activities.

These regulations aim to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces and prohibit the use of tobacco in any form in various public areas, including government buildings, healthcare and educational institutions, and public transport, among others.

Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, said that the Tobacco-Free Workplace Guide will be used as a key resource and tool to assist both government and private entities in fostering a workplace free from the use of all tobacco products.

"It also comes in line with the UAE's commitment to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, ratified in 2005, aiming to implement effective measures that protect against exposure to tobacco smoke in workplaces, public transportation, and public places," he added.