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Prescot

Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, formerly known as Stoves, are a large manufacturer of domestic kitchen appliances such as the Stoves, Belling and New World cooker brands and Lec refrigeration, employing around 1400 staff. The site in Prescot has been an integral part of the community for decades and currently employs people in its production, call and distribution centres.

The business made the decision to move towards becoming smoke-free in 2004, securing a “Commitment to Change” National Clean Air Award from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, by developing a plan to firstly control smoking at the Prescot site with a view to possibly making it a no-smoking zone.

Employees could smoke during their break times at various locations across the site. The management team took the decision to restrict where smoking was permitted and installed 6 smoking (bus) shelters around the outside of the site as a result of complaints from employees and to meet with the ever stringent fire regulations and insurance requisites. The Occupational Health Manager, Frank Oakes was asked to look into how many employees actually smoked and what support we could give them to help them stop smoking. Of the 1400 staff who work at the site, around 500 were smokers.

The local smoking cessation service (SUPPORT) were drafted into the business to deliver quit smoking advice to employees, and the Occupational Health Manager was also trained to deliver smoking cessation to ensure ongoing support for smokers.

54 people quit smoking as a result of the initial smoking cessation support, and the smoke-free policy was implemented during the summer of 2005. Smoking is only allowed during designated breaks and in the designated smoking shelters only.

The company has continued to support the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and have received the “Silver” National Clean Air award for protecting their staff from secondhand smoke. The next stage of the plan is to make the workplace a total no-smoking zone. It is planned to again offer the employees the help of the SUPPORT team to do this.