The
Irving Oil Refinery is a tobacco-free workplace. For that
accomplishment, the company received an award from the Heart and Stroke
Foundation.
In January 2012, the company let its workers know that all tobacco products would be banned as of July.
Millright Gary Crowell says never considered quitting before and it was easier than he expected.
He tells us he does a lot of climbing in his job and he finds its easier to breathe now and he definitely feels better.
Crowell
says he always thought you needed to 100 per cent to successfully quit
smoking but he did it with a desire and some will power.
Dan Connolly of the Heart & Stroke Foundation would like to see other companies follow suit.
He says many workplaces restrict or reduce smoking and like Irving are offering incentives to reduce their smoking rates.
He
says New Brunswick has some of the highest smoking rates in the country
and its a huge risk factor for cardiovascular disease and we need to do
something about that.
Connolly says when you consider the Refinery is a workplace of 1400 people, he's amazed they were able to get this done.