Occupational exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke: development of a job exposure matrix

Dobson, R., Demou, E. and Semple, S. (2021) Occupational exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke: development of a job exposure matrix. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 65(9), pp. 1133-1138. (doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxab019) (PMID:33821959)

Abstract

Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) in the workplace has been largely controlled in most workplaces in many countries that have adopted smoke-free laws and regulations. Workers in offices, bars, restaurants, and many other settings have experienced substantial reductions in the frequency and intensity of their exposure to SHS. While current exposure to SHS of most non-smoking adults arises from living with a smoker there are likely to be some jobs where non-negligible exposure to SHS continues to occur. This study describes the development of a simple job exposure matrix (JEM) for SHS exposure for the UK working population in 2020 and identifies that at least 1.04 million workers are likely to be exposed to SHS while performing their job. Occupations with the highest frequency and intensity of exposure include those where workers carry out work tasks in private, domestic settings: including care workers and home carers. This SHS-JEM provides a novel method for assessing occupational exposure to SHS in other countries, and can act as a tool to identify priorities for policies to protect those workers who continue to be at risk from SHS.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We acknowledge funding from the Colt Foundation for this work, and the Medical Research Council and Chief Scientist Office (MC_UU_12017/13, SPHSU13) for E.D.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Demou, Dr Evangelia
• Authors: Dobson, R., Demou, E., and Semple, S.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU
• Journal Name: Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 2398-7308
• ISSN (Online): 2398-7316
• Published Online: 03 April 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health 65(9): 1133-1138
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
72765	1	Measuring and Analysing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health	Alastair Leyland	Medical Research Council (MRC)	MC_UU_12017/13	HW - MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit
72765	1	Measuring and Analysing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health	Alastair Leyland	Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSO)	SPHSU13	HW - MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit