Press releases

13/01/2006

Scottish Gas Cleans Up With 1,000th Smoke Free Accolade - and Saves £2,500 per Smoker

“Scottish Gas, based in Uddingston, has become the 1,000th company in the UK to scoop a National Clean Air Award, by going smoke free.

The Centrica Group company has implemented a comprehensive smoke free policy. The policy not only ensures that workers can work in a smoke free environment in the buildings but also ensures that entrances and exits are not being used as smoking areas. In addition, many employees have successfully completed a smoking cessation programme.

Tracy O’Hanlon, support delivery manager at Scottish Gas in Uddingston, who implemented the smoking cessation scheme, says: “We put a great emphasis on the health and wellbeing of our employees at Scottish Gas and wanted our employees to be able to work in a clean, smoke free environment. We adopted an occupational health programme, part of which assisted us in reaching a smoke free policy and ultimately gaining our Gold Clean Air Award.

“We have already found that the smoke free programme, specifically cessation, has left smoking staff feeling supported, rather than just having restrictions imposed on them and non-smokers feel equally considered and cared for. In addition, we calculated that a smoker on a £10 hourly wage who takes five ten minute cigarette breaks a day was costing us £2,490 per year!”

Chris Owens, Head of Tobacco Control, The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation says: “The Clean Air Awards aim to reduce public and workplace exposure to secondhand smoke and we are absolutely delighted that we have reached the 1000th award. Scottish Gas is setting an excellent example by not only implementing the smoke free policy, but also ensuring that employees who smoke and would like to quit are supported in the workplace. This is indeed an example of good practice.”

Tracy O'Hanlon, Support Delivery Manager at Scottish Gas
Uddington, receives The National Clean Air Award from Chris Owens,
Head of Tobacco Control, The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Tracy O'Hanlon, Support Delivery Manager at Scottsh Gas
Uddington, with some of the successful quitters from the
stop smoking programme she ran at the depot.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Aims of the Award:

• To reduce public and workplace exposure to secondhand smoke
• To support the implementation of effective no-smoking policies
• To broaden the agenda and make the introduction of no-smoking policies attractive to business
• To support those working to encourage employers to introduce no-smoking policies
• To provide an environment where smokers who wish to stop can be supported and encouraged

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the world wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in the UK. The charity’s approach benefits current and future lung cancer sufferers alike:

• The foundation funds research programmes to detect lung cancer at a very early stage, which will save lives and is vital to the development of a future therapy.
• The foundation offers patient support, advocacy and an information network providing information, guidance and support relevant to the needs of lung cancer patients and their families.
• The foundation facilitates support groups across the UK that assist sufferers to come to terms with the disease and provide patient advocacy services.
• The foundation operates ‘Quit Smoking’ services for adults (Fag Ends) and its KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) educational programme which encourages young people never to start smoking.
• The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation runs fundraising events and charity shops, both of which help to generate much needed voluntary donations (public and corporate), on which it relies to continue its fight to defeat lung cancer.

Issued by Weber Shandwick on behalf of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (Registered Charity 1046854) - for further media information please contact: