Smoke Free Procedure

Ref. No.	Executive sponsor	Policy steward	Approval authority	First approved	Last reviewed	Effective date	Next review
73.12						Dec. 1, 2012

Purpose
The purpose of this document is to:
1. Support the Nova Scotia Community College’s Smoke-Free Policy by establishing operational processes that allow each campus to meet the intent of the policy.
2. Create a standard of response for non-compliance regarding the Nova Scotia Community College’s Smoking Policy.
3. Define responsibilities related to maintaining policy compliance.

Scope

The Smoking Policy applies to all employees, students, visitors, outside contractors and all other persons on all Nova Scotia Community College properties and College vehicles. The Campus Management Team: Principals, Student Services Managers, Facilities Management, Administrative Services Managers, Academic Chairs and Security Services, as well as all managers on Campus, have a role to play in supporting/administering this policy. The Manager of Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Services ensures the policy remains relevant and provides direction on policy compliance.

Regulatory Requirements

This procedure is supported by the NSCC Smoke-Free Policy and the Nova Scotia Smoke-free Places Regulations, N.S. Reg. 144/2002, as amended by: N.S. Reg. 206/2003; 206/2006.

Responsibilities
1. Campus Management/Principal
  1. Communicate regularly with the campus population about the smoke-free policy ensuring occupants are aware of their responsibilities to maintain a smoke-free environment.
  2. Identify and maintain a designated area on campus where smoking is permitted. The designated smoking area shall be located in a safe area, away from travel ways used to access college buildings or grounds in order to minimize potential exposure to second hand smoke. NSCC recognizes the benefits of maintaining a designated smoking area that is safe and appropriately located that will mitigate the potential of second-hand smoke exposure, allow for adequate housekeeping and environmental upkeep, maintain positive community relations and allow for effective policy compliance measures.
  3. Shall administer compliance with the Nova Scotia Community College Smoke-Free Policy and associated Procedures.
  4. Shall work collaboratively with Facilities Management and others to identify appropriate individuals to enforce the Smoke-Free Policy.
2. Employee
  1. Shall inform individuals within their area of influence of the Nova Scotia Community College Smoke-Free Policy and their responsibilities regarding the Policy.
  2. If instances of non-compliance are observed, Employee shall report the issue of noncompliance to Security or Campus Management as appropriate to the circumstances.
3. Student
  1. NSCC students are responsible for compliance with the Smoke Free Policy.
  2. Non-compliance will be considered a violation of the NSCC Code of Conduct outlined in Great Expectations and students will be subject to the Academic/Behavioral Incident Report Process.
  3. Facilities Management shall ensure Security Officers are trained and aware of their role to enforce the Smoke-Free Policy.
  4. In the absence of Security staff, Management Employees are designated to enforce the Smoke-Free Policy.
4. Facilities Management
  1. Facilities Management in collaboration with the Campus Management Team will identify an appropriate location for a designated smoking area.
  2. The design of the designated smoking area shall consist of a hard surface capable of year round maintenance to include sweeping and snow removal. The area may include an open overhead structure conducive to the environment in which it is situated offering minimal coverage from the weather but designed to adhere to Occupational Health and Safety measures. A suitable tamperproof waste receptacle shall be provided and maintained. The designated area shall be maintained and swept as applicable.
  3. Facilities Management shall ensure Security Officers are trained and aware of their role to enforce the Smoke-Free Policy.
  4. In the absence of Security staff, Management Employees are designated to enforce the Smoke-Free Policy.
5. Campus Security/Enforcement
  1. In many cases, Security Officers will provide a majority of observation and enforcement actions. In the absence of security, the following will apply to the persons enforcing the policy.
  2. Campus Security Officers are provided with authority to enforce compliance with the Nova Scotia Community College Smoke-Free Policy.
  3. Security Officers shall maintain a respectful demeanor in dealing with instances of non-compliance of the policy.
  4. Security Officers shall use discretion when observing instances of non-compliance. Attempts should be made to educate individuals about the policy and to redirect them to the appropriate location.
  5. Upon observing an instance of non-compliance, the Security Officer shall issue a Notice of Non-Compliance to individuals found in contravention following the procedure for noncompliance.
  6. Security shall include interactions associated with policy enforcement in the Security Daily Log.

Non-compliance Procedure
1. In all cases, maintain a respectful demeanor.
2. Identify the individual by student/staff identification card. If the person does not have a staff/student identification card, then identify the person through other photo identification.
3. If this is the first occurrence, educate the individual about the policy and redirect them to the appropriate location. Advise the individual that further non-compliance will result in the issuance of a “Notice of Non-Compliance.”
4. If this is the second or subsequent occurrence, prepare a written notice of non-compliance using the form attached.
5. Advise the individual that they are required to contact the Principal, Manager of Student Services, or Facilities Management as indicated on the notice.
6. If the individual refuses to identify themselves:
  1. Advise the individual that failure to identify will result in removal from the property until such time as their identity and purpose on campus is confirmed.
  2. If the individual fails to identify themselves, they will be advised to immediately leave the property.
7. Ensure a copy of the Non-compliance form is delivered to:
  1. The campus Principal for employee and friend of the College violations.
  2. The Student Services Manager for student violations.
  3. The Facilities Manager for contractors and facility-related service providers.
8. The individuals referenced in Section 5.7 shall receive a copy of the Notice of Non-Compliance Form and shall consult with the following individuals to determine appropriate next steps:
  1. HR Consultant – where an employee or friend of the College is non-compliant.
  2. Student Services Designate (as determined by the College’s Dean of Student Services) – where a student is noncompliant.
  3. Facilities Management Designate (as determined by the College’s Director of Facilities) – where a contractor or facility related service provider is non-compliant.
  4. The College has the authority to take appropriate action in instances of departure from the expected standard of behaviour. The range of actions includes placing an incident report on an employee’s file or an Academic/Behavior Incident Report on a student’s file, restricted privileges, and short-term (up to five days) suspension, dismissal from the College, and, if necessary, possible referral to police agencies for further action.
  5. The Campus Principal or Designate will determine possible additional action as outlined in Sec. 5.8.4 for repeated noncompliance to previous measures, in consultation with the Campus Management Team.

Re-Assessment

The NSCC office of Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Services will re-assess the effectiveness of this procedure on an annual basis.

Notice of Non-Compliance Smoking