Bountiful sets rules for workers who smoke

BOUNTIFUL — Though no complaints led to the issue, the Bountiful City Council has decided to create smoking rules for employees.

Employees may smoke on breaks if they are alone, are 50 feet away from other employees or are using a city-owned vehicle not shared by other employees.

The decision affects fewer than 10 city employees — those who smoke — said Bountiful city manager Tom Hardy.

Bountiful employs 160 people.

And the accompanying Dec. 11 vote by the City Council was unanimous, said City Councilman Richard Higginson.

"Virtually no controversy led to it," Higginson said. "It was just an update in the employee procedures manual."

Previously, the employees' procedural manual hadn't included a smoking rule, and most people assumed that smoking on breaks was permitted, Hardy said.

Recently, an employee in the city's power department had raised the issue, Hardy said. The employee, who enjoys working with his supervisor, had a concern about the supervisor's smoking.

"We decided that we would protect other employees from secondhand smoke," Hardy said.

The decision falls in line with the Davis County Board of Health's ban on smoking in outdoor public places, except in designated smoking areas. The ban takes effect Jan. 1.

In most outdoor public places in the county, designated smoking areas are 50 feet away from where people tend to gather.

Davis County was the first county in Utah to ban smoking in outdoor public places, and various cities have followed suit.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com