Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn recently announced on Wednesday that smoking will now also be banned at all non-industrial workplaces. The new regulation on air quality is to take effect in May.

The main objective is to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke because exposure to toxic tobacco smoke is now no longer considered solely from health aspects alone but also from the angle of occupational safety and health.

The myth that a smoking ban will reduce the number of patrons to food and entertainment outlets has to be dispelled because people will still patronise outlets that serve good food and provide excellent service. In fact, in other countries, food and entertainment outlets enjoyed an increase in business after a similar ban was enforced.

If such outlets claim that they will lose their clients because of the smoking ban then they have to seriously look at the two of the fastfood giants - KFC and McDonalds. They will have to rethink what brings in their customers - good food and efficient service or smoking.

As for ventilation systems, studies have shown that there are none (let that be emphasised) that can rid an enclosed place of all the 4,000 chemicals form cigarette smoke.

Employers should recognise the impact of smoking in terms of health costs (e.g. when his employees fall ill), economic costs (e.g. the installation of ventilation system and risks of fire) and other miscellaneous costs affecting them. They also have to consider plumbing costs in getting rid of cigarette butts clogging their washbasins and urinals.

These unnecessary costs can be saved for business improvements or otherwise be used to benefit workers such as by giving them incentives for good job performance. This, in fact, will help encourage them to contribute more to the company because they are the direct beneficiaries in the system.

Smoking is associated with about 50 diseases and smokers are more likely to fall ill and require time off in turn affecting productivity, output and incurring medical costs. This is a factor that can be reduced significantly. Moreover, passive smoking will put additional burdens and health risks on non-smoking colleagues.

When the smoking ban is in place, food and entertainment outlets will be on an even platform to compete for business. Malaysia is not alone with the ban. Ireland, Norway, Canada, New Zealand and parts of the US (California, Delaware, New York, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island) are among those that have instituted it.

A 2003 report on a study conducted in the UK by health physicist James L Repace showed that about 900 office workers, 165 bar workers and 145 manufacturing workers die each year as a result of breathing in other people's tobacco smoke at work.

The study also revealed that there were three times as many deaths annually from passive smoking at work as there were from workplace injuries. Employers and employees should embrace the ban positively and not merely settle for air filtration or exhaust systems.

The writer is attached to the Clearinghouse for Tobacco Control, National Poisons Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia.