Job applicants are required to take a urine test. Those who test positive for nicotine aren’t hired or, in some cases, must agree to take a smoking cessation class.
So far, major employers in the Dayton area say they aren’t considering such a policy, although they can see how such a ban could reduce their costs. A 2006 study by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that businesses lose $3,400 a year for every employee who smokes.
“All businesses are looking at how they can reduce costs, and smoking is obviously a big thing,” said Bryan Bucklew, chief executive of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. All 21 members of the association banned smoking on their campuses more than three years ago. Most offer free smoking cessation programs to their employees.
At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, smoking is permitted only in designated areas outside buildings, said base spokesman Derek Kaufman. But federal hiring policies do not ask prospective employees about tobacco use, he said.
Smokers’ rights groups say employers are overstepping their bounds. “When employees choose to use a legal product, and use it in their own homes and on their own time, I don’t think employers should have the right to say we won’t hire you,” said Pam Parker, co-founder of Opponents of Ohio Bans.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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