550-22: Tobacco-Free at Work

Questions? Contact Campus Administrative Policies

Overview

Provides for a tobacco-free at work policy to minimize health risks, improve air quality, and enhance the environment at UCSF locations including the surrounding community.

Purpose

On September 3, 2013, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) adopted a tobacco-free at work policy in order to minimize health risk to patients and employees, improve the quality of air, and enhance the environment on Campus and Medical Center locations as well as the surrounding community.

Definitions

Every person in the service of an employer under any appointment or contract of hire or apprenticeship, express or implied, oral or written, whether lawfully or unlawfully employed.

Student is defined as any individual who is pursuing degree program(s) at UC San Francisco, enrolled in classes, and registered full or part-time as approved by the Office of the Registrar.

Any or all of the main centers of activity of the University under the jurisdiction of the Chancellor and includes University-owned or leased property, buildings, space, and University-owned passenger vehicles and moving equipment, including light and heavy trucks, cargo and passenger vans, buses, and any other mobile equipment with an enclosed or enclosable driver/passenger compartment. All UCSF Campus and Medical Center site locations are included.

A building owned and occupied, or leased and occupied, by the state. The definition of "state" or "state agency" includes each campus of the University of California as defined pursuant to Section 11000, the Legislature, the Supreme Court, and the Courts of Appeal. [Government Code Relating to Tobacco; Chapter 32 "Smoking in Public Buildings" 7596 (2)(b)].

Any one of the following:

  • A product containing, made, or derived from the leaves of the genus Nicotiana or from synthetic nicotine that is intended for human consumption, whether smoked, heated, chewed, absorbed, dissolved, inhaled, snorted, sniffed, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, chewing tobacco, shisha, pipe tobacco, snuff, and all other forms of smokeless and oral tobacco.
  • An electronic device that delivers nicotine or other vaporized liquids to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, cigars, pipes, hookahs, and electronic smoking devices (e.g., electronic cigarettes).
  • Any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product, whether or not sold separately.

Tobacco product does not include a product that has been approved by the FDA for sale as a tobacco cessation product marketed and sold solely for such an approved purpose.

Smoking, heating, chewing, absorbing, dissolving, inhaling, snorting, sniffing, or ingesting by any other means.

Policy

UCSF shall be a tobacco-free campus to provide a tobacco-free environment for its faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors. UCSF employees are required to be tobacco-free while at work, during any scheduled work shift (including all breaks) whether on or off campus.

The Emergency Communication Center at 415-476-1414 (or 9-911 if in progress emergency) should be notified immediately if an employee witnesses any individual smoking in an area that poses a potential threat to health or safety, such as smoking near areas in which combustible supplies, flammable liquids, gases or oxygen are used or stored.

Related UC Policy

University of California Smoke & Tobacco Free Environment Policy

UCSF Medical Center Administrative Policies (UCSF Health employee access only):

Responsibilities

  1. All UCSF employees must observe this Tobacco-Free at Work policy. Use of tobacco products is prohibited by employees during any scheduled work shift, including breaks that occur on or outside of UCSF Campus and Medical Center locations. Employees must also adhere to being tobacco-free while attending training classes or work-related functions, which are paid for by UCSF. Supervisors are responsible for enforcing the policy in their respective areas and for addressing policy violations through the existing administrative structure.
  2. Students of UCSF are also required to comply with the Tobacco-Free at Work policy. The policy will apply when students are on campus for scheduled class time, clinical rotations, coursework, student research, and includes all breaks taken during the course of a day in which any of the above activities are scheduled.
  3. All contractors and vendors are expected to comply with the Tobacco-Free at Work policy while working at UCSF sites. Contractors will be informed of the UCSF Tobacco-Free at Work policy at the time a contract is agreed upon. Vendors will be reminded of the policy when signing in at shipping and receiving to deliver items. If a contractor or vendor is observed violating this policy, observers may either inform them of UCSF’s policy or contact the manager of the department responsible for the contractor or vendor.
  4. Volunteers are expected to comply with the Tobacco-Free at Work policy.

References

Resources

Subject area

Health & Safety

Policy number

550-22

Responsible office

Financial and Administrative Services

Primary content owner

Human Resources

Effective

Reviewed