Ban on smoking rooms by January 1, 2022
Since January 1, 2022, there is a ban on smoking in the workplace. The National Prevention Agreement contains policies to start closing smoking rooms in all sectors in the coming years. With the ban on smoking rooms, the Government wants to make the threshold for quitting smoking as low as possible. The employer is obliged to prohibit smoking in the workplace because everyone has the right to a smoke-free workplace.
State Secretary Paul Blokhuis (VWS) says that “Every Dutch person has the right to a healthy environment.”
Compliance with the Tobacco Act is monitored by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) This means that the NVWA will carry out inspections and that they can start making unannounced visits. If an employee fails to comply, the employer may be fined. Therefore, it is important to establish, designate and enforce a smoking ban. Point out to your employees that smoking is not allowed in the workplace by hanging signs, for example. More information on fines can be found here.
