IIRC only if it's your usual place of work - ie one location. And carrying tools of the trade comes into it too. But I'd expect a van to be insured for this sort of thing anyway - I don't think it's now possible to insure them for pure domestic use.
I have no doubt about it, I find smokers to be pretty stupid in general. The company I worked for specifically required non smokers during recruitment for the last 10 years as they found smokers were less able to do technical jobs. It was obvious which ones lied on the application form too.
But they employed you?
Only to your 'normal' business address. Driving between/to client's premises is another kettle^W can of worms.
Andy Hall wrote in
...but I didn't know that.
:)
Now you do, so there's even less excuse. ;-)
The whole point about this incident is that it's small minded and vindictive. A friendly warning might have been more appropriate, but we no longer live in that kind of world
Again, not always clear cut. I know someone who is a professional painter. He is employed full time by a firm, who do large painting contracts. Its not uncommon for him to be commuting to the same site for over a year painting out large apartment blocks as they are built and finished.
Yup same here, I don't think business use adds significantly to the cost of my insurance.
It goes further than that. If he is a one man business and owns his van the law has no business interfering in whether he smokes in it or not. I have a workshop as part of my house - and I sometimes carry out paid for work in that. Should the law ban me from smoking in there too?
Should it? No. Does it? Probably.
Even I think the law is an ass in this case.
Not sure but I believe the test is whether any other employees or co-workers will EVER be carried in the vehicle. I.e. The idea is to protect those at work from danger.
One man business != one man place of work. At the time he was stopped he was carrying a 16 year old family friend who had been helping him.
If others visit it in the context of the work then smoking would not be allowed in it as the law stands.
I guess if you're alone in there, they'll let you off for now. I hope you don't claim for office cleaning on your tax return
How about motor mechanics who have to sit in the vehicle whilst servicing it? They should have some protection too...
If the 16 year old or anyone else who ever works with him had been helping him with his business and had to enter the van at any time or was being carried as part of the arrangement then no smoking in the van.
Council tenants (in my area) must not smoke indoors 30 minutes prior to a council workman/sub contractor/official/pen pusher entering their property. One person I know, who works for the council, boasts that he managed to smoke 3 cigs waiting outside a house for 30 minutes as the "client" answered the door whilst smoking.
Adam
Does this work both ways? Could/can a 'customer' (we're all customers now :-) ) refuse access to someone who has smoked in the last half hour?
Friendly warnings don't work, why waste your time? What was the last time you asked a drug addict to stop and got a reasonable response?
Yes! It is a place of work and if you employ anyone a smoking ban is required.
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