[Effect of the law against smoking at the work place. A study done among employees of the city of Bergen].

On 1 July 1988, the Norwegian Parliament passed a new section to the Tobacco Act, which banned smoking in areas accessible to the general public and in work areas where two or more people are gathered. In April, 1989, a study was undertaken in Bergen, Norway, to evaluate the impact of this new law. A written survey, to be filled-in anonymously, was distributed to approximately 1300 employees of the City of Bergen. Results indicate that the participants were generally positive towards the new law. The majority of participants reported that the law was being respected at their workplaces, and that it had led to a more positive working environment in the form of cleaner indoor air. The majority also reported that, after the introduction of the new law, it had become easier, i.e. more respected, to be a non-smoker. At some workplaces however, especially those marked by a majority of male "blue collar" laborers, the law had not been enforced and no agreement had been reached on how to reduce smoking at work. A substantial number of non-smokers at these workplaces reported their working environment as less pleasant after introduction of the new law.