Nine Departments in Shanghai Jointly Issued A Document: Further Strengthening The Control Of Outdoor Secondhand Smoke

Nine departments in Shanghai jointly issued a document: further strengthening the control of outdoor secondhand smoke

Nine departments in Shanghai jointly issued a notice to strengthen outdoor secondhand smoke control, clarifying the regulatory requirements for eight key places such as outdoor queuing and waiting areas, and deepening the "three steps of tobacco control action", namely "comprehensive smoking ban indoors, no smoking outdoors, and please see the signs for smoking". This is the first provincial multi-department joint document in China to strengthen outdoor secondhand smoke control.

 

Recently, nine departments including the Shanghai Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office, the Social Work Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Shanghai Spiritual Civilization Construction Office, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, and the Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Administration jointly issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening Outdoor Secondhand Smoke Control and Promoting the Construction of a Smoke-free Healthy Environment", clarifying the regulatory requirements for eight key places such as outdoor queuing and waiting areas, deepening the city's "three steps of tobacco control action" (namely "comprehensive smoking ban indoors, no smoking outdoors, and please see the signs for smoking"), and strengthening the advocacy and practice of civilized and healthy behavior of "no smoking anywhere outdoors" to build a healthy Shanghai. This is the first provincial multi-department joint document in China to strengthen outdoor secondhand smoke control.

 

According to the results of the outdoor secondhand smoke survey conducted by the Municipal Health Promotion Office and the Municipal Health Promotion Center, the top five places where citizens encounter the most secondhand smoke outdoors are outdoor queuing areas (such as scenic spots, restaurants, beverage shops, etc.), sidewalks and traffic light waiting areas at intersections, outdoor playgrounds, bus stations, shopping malls and business building entrances and exits. Citizens have strong reactions to outdoor secondhand smoke at three types of places: school gates (during student pick-up and drop-off periods), hospital building gates, and subway station entrances and exits, and are particularly concerned about "walking smoke" (i.e. smoking while walking). The frequent occurrence of outdoor secondhand smoke and "walking smoke" has seriously reduced citizens' travel experience and quality of life, and has also had a great negative impact on the public environment and citizens' health.

 

According to the "Shanghai Public Places Smoking Control Regulations", drawing on the experience of advanced international regions and cities, the Municipal Health and Family Planning Office, together with relevant member units, jointly advocates not to smoke outdoors, and puts forward work requirements to the management and administrative departments of eight types of key places in the city:

 

First, in outdoor waiting areas, strengthen the knowledge of tobacco hazards and smoking control and dissuasion skills training for staff in scenic spots, restaurants, beverage shops and other places, and add health reminders related to smoking dissuasion and tobacco hazards in the queuing area;

Second, in the waiting area for traffic lights on sidewalks and intersections, add advocacy signs for not smoking at intersections with voice announcements Reminders, and tobacco control volunteers will conduct dissuasion;

 

Third, in outdoor playgrounds, write "no smoking anywhere" into the tourist instructions, strengthen the knowledge of tobacco hazards and tobacco control and dissuasion skills training for park employees, and the park management will arrange full-time (part-time) tobacco control workers to patrol during the opening of the playground;

 

Fourth, at bus stations, post no-smoking signs, or spray paint on the ground or other conspicuous places, set up tobacco hazards and "no smoking anywhere" and other health publicity reminders on the platform bulletin board, ashtrays and other smoking utensils are not allowed to be placed on the platform, and the bus station operator shall regularly arrange cleaning staff to manage the platform;

Fifth, at the entrances and exits of shopping malls and business buildings, the property management company is responsible for managing the smoking control work in shopping malls and buildings, increasing the smoking control education for on-site merchants, building tenants and owners, adding smoking control related clauses to the entry and rental contracts, and setting up outdoor smoking spots in accordance with the "Outdoor Smoking Spot Setting and Management Requirements" away from the entrances and exits. Security personnel are responsible for guiding smokers to designated areas to smoke;

 

Sixth, at the school gate, make full use of campus broadcasts, health education classes, class meetings, parent meetings and other organizational forms to carry out smoking control publicity and education, and set up "smoking-free campus" signs to remind people not to smoke in the waiting area. If outsiders If there is smoking, security personnel and on-duty personnel will remind and dissuade people in time;

 

Seventh, at the entrance of the hospital building, a "smoke-free hospital" sign will be set up. If people are found smoking anywhere, security personnel and volunteers will be responsible for reminding and dissuading them. In the outpatient hall, the theme of health science popularization videos on tobacco hazards, smoking and diseases will be played to strengthen the publicity of smoking cessation clinics and improve the level of smoking cessation services;

 

Eighth, at the entrances and exits of subway stations, smoking control signs and markings will be set up according to the characteristics of the entrances and exits, employees will be strengthened with knowledge of tobacco hazards and smoking control dissuasion skills training, smokers at the station entrance will be dissuaded, and regular inspections and supervision will be carried out at each entrance and exit.

 

The Municipal Health and Family Planning Office stated that the city will strengthen the supervision and law enforcement of smoking control work in the statutory outdoor smoking ban areas of public places, and the recruitment, training and management of smoking control volunteers, further promote social co-governance of smoking control, and carry out social publicity for typical cases to establish the healthy concept of "no smoking anywhere outdoors". At the same time, it is required that the management of each venue strengthen smoking control management and work together to build a healthy city.