One of my concerns about the smoking ban in Scotland, which comes in force on Sunday, is the prescriptive regulations being placed on businesses. They are required to display non-smoking signs meeting statute-set criteria for size and content. Given that the vast majority of workplaces will be non-smoking, it might have been less burdensome to require smoking areas to be signposted. This regulation requires employers to be aware of the new law; why can’t the same requirement be placed on members of the public? Shops don’t, after all, have to put up signs saying, “No stealing” – some do, of course (“Shoplifters will be prosecuted”, etc.), but that’s their choice. Workplaces like my own, which were already non-smoking, will now have to display signs even though their status hasn’t changed. This applies to all workplaces that are covered by the legislation – so if you’re a partnership, neither of you smoke and you’re the only people using your office, you’re still required to display these signs (and needless to say that even if both of you smoke, you have to go outside your office to do it).
I spotted one such No Smoking sign outside a shop on Dalry Road as I walked to the station this evening. It was a signwriter’s, showing off their wares. At least that’s one type of business that will benefit from the ban.
As usual when I arrived on the platform at Haymarket I had to walk through the smoke of the two women who insist on standing at the end of the bridge smoking. I wonder I’ll find the law being enforced at the same time on Monday.
Finally, and apologies for being lavatorial, but there has been one positive change at Haymarket already. The gents toilets, which were pretty rank, have had the floor resurfaced. They’re still not that pleasant, but it’s an improvement at least. First Scotrail – for I assume it was them – do at least seem to be making an effort.
I thought you were going to talk about people smoking in the toilets! Because when I used the toilet at Waverley Station recently it was clear that somebody had just been smoking in it. It’s like high school or something. My clothes stank for the rest of the day.
I wonder if the smoking ban is merely going to lead people to smoke in public places secretly rather than stop smoking in public places altogether…
The toilet at Haymarket is where the most prominent No Smoking sign is!
I think you’re right, though. Having said above that my workplace is non-smoking, on several occasions I’ve found smoke hanging in the air in the gents.
Outside the Western General Hospital they have a covered area, the actual purpouse of which escapes me. Its quite a large area, has a glass wall down the middle and largely just makes it more dissifult to get into the hospital.
However down the sides of this covered area they have a number of non-smoking signs, which warn you that smoke detectors have been fitted. Well, the detectors may be theyre but they certainly don’t do any good as invairably people gather directly under the non-smoking signs to smoke. I doubt the situation will be any different on Monday.