Members of the Freight Transport Association are set up for the introduction of the smoking ban, introduced in Wales from 2 April. Members who have attended FTA briefings, which included a presentation on the new no smoking rules, were keen to ensure that they had all the facts to comply with the new rules.
Although the general consensus was that the new rules were welcome, there was still uncertainty on the detail needed to comply. The FTA briefing held in Cardiff in March was designed to inform truck and warehouse operators of their legal requirements and the penalties for getting things wrong.
FTA Policy Manager for Wales, Ian Gallagher said, 'Many operators already have no smoking policies in place, but may need to reevaluate them now that the smoking ban is in force and applies to vehicles as well. It might mean replacing signs to meet the legal requirement or changing employees' contracts. It is important to ensure that they get this right, because the penalties range from £30 to £2,500.'
For further information, FTA has produced a briefing note covering the changes which can be downloaded by members from the FTA website at www.fta.co.uk
The new restrictions on smoking apply to both business premises and to company vehicles including lorries, vans and cars.
FTA members can purchase the appropriate premises and vehicle stickers from Shopfta - call 08717 11 11 11.