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Work Vehicle smoking ban a must – AMA Victoria
AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis today called on the Victorian government to take the lead and ban smoking in work vehicles.Dr Travis said Victoria needs to go one step further than the South Australian government’s ban on smoking in cars carrying children and also address the loophole that allows smoking in work vehicles.
“We have moved to reduce the health risks for office workers yet we have ignored the high risk, confined space of work vehicles,” Dr Travis said.
“Smoking is the largest preventable cause of premature death in Australia, killing around 13 Victorians every day.” Dr Travis said.
Dr Travis said AMA Victoria in 2006 had called on the state government to legislate to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children. He congratulated the South Australian government on its legislation which came in to effect today, World No Tobacco Day.
“It is disappointing there has not been similar action in this state to protect children, at least as a first step,” he said.
“Doctors are particularly concerned with the number of parents continuing to expose their young children to the harm of cigarette smoke in confined spaces such as the car.”
Dr Travis said that drivers need to be aware that when they light up a cigarette in a car carrying children, due to the confined space, they are exposing them to toxic poison 23 times more deadly than in the home.
“Victoria cannot sit back and knowingly allow people to harm children,” Dr Travis said. “Similarly we cannot continue to allow workers whose workplace happens to be a truck or van or car to be exposed to the increased health hazards associated with smoking in confined spaces.
“We have legislated to protect workers and on 1 July we will be protecting diners, gamblers and drinkers from the risks of smoking in confined spaces. It really is common sense to extend that ban to vehicles carrying children and to work vehicles.”
Victorian Medical Directory
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