10.4. SR SR 04-06-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Environmental Health, Indoor Air Unit PO Box 64975 St. Paul, MN 55164 -0975 651- 201 -4601 Freedom to Breathe General Information Background The Freedom to Breathe (FTB) provisions amended the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act ( MCIAA) to further protect employees and the public from the health hazards of secondhand smoke. The FTB amendments became effective October 1, 2007. The MCIAA describes where smoking is prohibited, outlines the responsibilities of employers, managers and other persons in charge and lists exemptions that affect their workplaces and facilities. Public Health Issue Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. "In 2005, it was estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke kills more than 3,000 adult nonsmokers from lung cancer, approximately 46,000 from coronary heart disease, and an estimated 430 newborns from sudden infant death syndrome."' According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke. Definition of "Smoking" "Smoking" means inhaling or exhaling smoke from a lighted tobacco product or any other lighted plant product intended for inhalation. Carrying a lighted tobacco product or lighted plant product is also considered smoking. Definition of "Indoor Area" "Indoor Area" means all space between a floor and a ceiling that is bounded by walls, doorways, or windows, whether open or closed, covering more than 50 percent of the combined surface area of the vertical planes [wall space] constituting the perimeter of the area, whether temporary or permanent. A [standard] window screen is not considered a wall. Smoking - prohibited areas Smoking is prohibited in virtually all indoor public places and indoor places of employment, including: • Bars, restaurants, and private clubs • Office and industrial workplaces • Retail stores • Common areas of rental apartment buildings, hotels and motels • Public transportation, including taxis • Work vehicles, if more than one person is present • Home offices with one or more on -site employees, or used as a place to meet or deal with customers — during work hours • Public and private educational facilities • Auditoriums, arenas and meeting rooms • Day care premises • Health care facilities and clinics Permitted smoking The law does not prohibit smoking in the following locations or circumstances: • Outdoor smoking, regardless of distance from building openings • Private places, such as private homes, residences or automobiles when they are not being used as places of employment • Sleeping rooms of hotels and motels • Cabs of commercial motor vehicles that weigh over 26,000 pounds • Family farm buildings, farm trucks and equipment, if certain conditions are met • Patients of licensed residential healthcare facilities in designated separate, enclosed areas that meet applicable regulations April 2012