any advice re house visits where there are smokers

[xruqtdeu]

originally posted this on General Therapies but had no response so maybe not the best place for this question so trying on here



does anyone here who is mobile have any rules or advice about working in
peoples houses where there is a smoker?

I have one client who is lovely but I come out stinking of smoke after the treatment and need to have a shower and wash everything to get rid of the smell. Luckily I dont have another client afterwards but it could be a problem if I did - I wouldnt like a therapist coming to my house stinking of smoke

has anyone come accross this problem? I would like some help in suitable wording to put on my website

 

[Arielle F]

Well legally now people are not allowed to smoke while you are in the house or for an hour before you arrive.

Sometimes people genuinely haven't realised that this is part of the new law and so perhaps just mention to them? I admit it's a bit embarrassing but a necessary evil...

 

[Ckoal]

is that right?? sheesh... so you cant even do what you like in your own house???

i dont smoke but i dont begrudge those that do.

as for your problem, your client must be some heavy smoker if it leaves you stinking of smoke by just being there? i dont have an answer really but sometimes one cant be too choosey about their clients, IYKWIM.

 

[NONAME]

The rule applies if you have people working from your home if you are running a business from there, not if someone visits your home.

You have the right to smoke in your own home if you so choose.

Are you sure you have this correct?

 

[vet]

Picking up a point made by flowingflower - actually, it is not illegal for people to smoke in their own homes. Local council workers, such as care assistants can request a 'working review' of the homes that they go to, and those being cared for can be politely asked to not smoke whilst there is a care assistant in attendance, but it is not 'illegal', nor can the council enforce the ban. They can, however, deny care assistance. I don't know any instances of this ban being invoked.

In reply to hemelgirl - I think you need to ask yourself if you really want to work in that environment. I used to treat smokers in their own homes, but gave up after being physically sick after one visit. They never smoked when I was in the room, but the relatives were usually puffing away in another room! Now I make sure that I book an initial consultation (no treatment) first - when I get there I know instantly if I am going to be able to offer future treatments.

 

[Spoumbfum]

I recieved communication from an agency, the local anti social task force which is run by my local council and it cleary states on that that they ask people not to smoke prior to the workers coming in. This also relates to local council employees coming to your home such as plumbers, joiners etc. Obviously this is to try and save workers being exposed to cigarette smoke. I dont smoke and I appreciate that people might not be happy at this but surely someone can go without a cigarette for an hour or 2.
With respect to holistic therapies, I would always advise any clients that if they put any toxins back into their system after having had a therapy, they might feel rather unwell, its not a good mix.

 

[misscara]

surely as someone who is going in to do treatments in someone's home then that classes you as a worker??? Employed by the local council or not...

I live in Scotland so I don't exactly know if it's a different law but don't imagine so... If anyone comes to work in your home you cannot smoke for at least an hour before so as you are then exposing them to your smoke which is now illegal. So if you had an independent and/or council plumber, electrician, carpet fitter, someone to talk to you about double glazing.... anyone!!! Who is there on work-paid or voluntary.

As a therapist you have that right also. That's all there is to it. And rightly so I think. At the end of the day they have asked you into their home and that's their choice. I don't think we should have to compromise our health in order to work. Or the smell of our clothes either!!!

Yeah it probably seems quite an extreme decision to make but at least it gives us options...

 

[canaan90]

Wow I'd love that law to apply to children too. I cannot stand to see children in enclosed spaces with smokers.
As a result my mum rarely sees my children. We only visit on good days so we can stay in the garden because even if she doesn't smoke while we are there we still smell of it.

 

[dood]

I live in Scotland as well and my landlord are North Lanarkshire Council, the communication from the task force quite clearly asked that no worker be exposed to smoke.
There is an element of bb is watching you, of course there is but as I said, I do holistic therapies, only for mates at the mo and I did a session of reflexology on a smoker tonight and as part of the aftercare I said, you should avoid toxins and that includes nicotine.
I have seen people get therapies and then take a drink or a smoke and feel awful.
You could always ask the client to remain smoke free for the duration and state that its part of the advice given, eg if you have a therapy which aids in removing toxins from the body, its not a good idea to put toxins back in straight after.

 

[lady rose]

Toxin's? - One man's poison and all that eh!

Err, anyway, I wanted to ask - what if they have MS and smoke cannabis for relief?

 

[Christy]

I just wanted to add I got a letter from the council recently prior to a visit saying that if i smoked, could i extinguish any cigarette prior to the visit (cant remember how long before - may have been 30 mins) and if i had any dogs could they be locked in another room.

Dont see why this cant also apply to therapists - why should you have your clothes dirtied (cos the smell does stay) or have to fend off an over-zealous pooch when you're trying to bring an atmosphere of calm and healing?

I think you should have it on your website and just have a 'speil' you give out with bookings, like when you tell them about cancellations/changes, just add about smoking and/or dogs....

Darren

 

[Olivia J]

The law as I understand it is that any person invited into your home to carry out work (plumber, social worker etc. etc.) has the right to refuse to carry out the work if you are smoking in the premises at the time or have apparently been smoking in the premises within a period beforehand (1 hour?).

It all comes down to protecting the non smoking "public" from the smoke of smokers. There's no reason why someone invited to do work in your home should have to be subjected to smoke, just as bar staff in a pub don't have to be subjected to the smoke of the pub clientelle any more.

I had the same thought as moogyboobles the other day. Children should not be subjected to passive smoke just because their parents want to smoke. IMHO, the law should be extended to protect them too. They've made the law to protect all members of the public, most of whom could make their own decision to stay away from the smoke in a lot of cases, but children of smokers don't get a choice, yet they aren't protected.

Love and Reiki Hugs

 

[xaohmptq]

Well as an addiction worker who does holistic therapies in my spare time, on the subject of cannabis, legally, if you are in someones home and they are smoking cannnabis for MS pain relief or not, it wouldnt be worth a trip to your local cop shop.
Ive known of instances where police came to someones home over another incident, found evidence that cannabis had been smoked and hauled everyone in the house into the police station for questioning.
As someone who works for a charity and someone who is an addiction worker, regardless on my own personal views on cannabis smoking and whether it should be decriminalised, as the law stands at the moment, if I went to someones home and they were smoking cannabis Im afraid I would need to exit very sharply, its not worth my job at the end of the day.

 

[Dinokitty12 Rip Mj!<3]

if i smoked and someone coming to my home to do work for which i would pay them, and they gave me that, i'd find someone less fussy about who they take money from!!



exactly... put all the kids of smokers in homes to protect them from their terrible parents!! c'mon... ffs... sure, in an ideal world parents wouldnt smoke in the house and i am sure there are many who do nip outside, but if you are talking about introducing laws, then you are talking about alternatives and what happens if parents choose to ignore said law... i.e. care homes.

i am amazed even, that this new law does include what you do in your own home if you are having "workers" in. i had no idea and i think its really awful.

 

[crissysmith4u]

wow

thank you to everyone who has replied

I thought that the laws about smoking in the homes only applied to council homes and residential homes when their staff were visiting - worth looking into

my client is 84 and smoked since she was 15 - part of her problem is caused by her smoking (it is circulatory). She is never smoking when I arrive, but she lives in a small (and very nice) flat and doesnt go out much. I will put a message on the website - hadnt thought about asking people to put their dogs in another room, not a bad point

thanks again everyone

 

[Dwight]

And I'm sure there are those types of workers who also smoke, so they'd probably be ok with it, although trying to find a good plumber at the best of times can be difficult.


Consider parents who beat their children and leave them with bruises. They will arrested for child abuse, even though the bruises will disappear with time just leaving emotional issues that can be dealt with in the future. Now consider parents who impose smoke on their children. They're not arrested for inflicting this abuse on them, and it's something that's going to effect that child for the rest of their life, nobody can take the effects of that away.

Why should smoking be any different from any other kind of child abuse?

Love and Reiki Hugs

 

[melissa_essex707]

I kinda meant if they had been taking it prior to you arriving for pain relief (also, I dont see what addiction has to do with it - as they aren't classed as addicts) - lol really? Everyone in the house gets hauled down to the station for questioning becuase thre's evidence that someone in the house has been smoking it... are you sure

As for protecting children from their smoking parent - yeah that's a great idea (BTW there was smoking in my house, my children are all decent grown adults busy out there in the world contributing to society) lets nail them parents, forget the alcholics, the violent, the abusive and the selfish psychotics - after all the kids that are suffering at the hands of their parents in this country share one thing in common, and that is all these adults smoke right?

Personally its not a problem to me, so i think like The Magpie suggests make it plain from the outset, it's your service, so you decide how you delver it.
Re: dogs, I once did a visiting massage to a lday whos dog (a terrier) positively freaked out because she'd put him in another room; he yelped and howled so much that we had to let him out he spent the rest of the treatment jumping onto the massage table and growling menacingly at me... perhaps I was play the wrong 'calming music' eh

 

[Zakonye]

I am a counsellor and work from home and I have a polite No Smoking sign displayed. However I find that when a client who is a smoker leaves, my counselling room reeks. If I have another client coming immediately afterwards I have to try to eradicate the smell. I don't think smokers relaize just how much they and their homes smell.

I do agree with your comments Giles, about parents smoking in the home. Surely most parents want the very best of everything for their children so why for some doesn't that include providing a home free from cigarette toxins
It is a form of abuse although impossible to legislate for.

I must confess, however, I am guilty of having been a smoker myself, for almost 10 years, but gave up the day I learned I was expecting my daughter, which was 21 years ago.

Best wishes

Cathy

 

[Colette~]

oh come on, giles. smoking parents can hardly be put in the same abuse catergory as parents that beat and scream and shout at their kids endlessly, unless the smoking parents are smoking AND doing that and possibly burning the kids with butts.

my ex husband smokes and if anything, it has reinforced in my kids that its something they really dont want to do. AFAIK, healthwise, its had no impact, and not to me either.




or maybe you were doing the wrong "massage" eh!

 

[My Question]

And there was me thinking it was a medically proven fact that smoking is bad for your health.

If it's not bad for your kids, then why should they realise that it's something they don't want to do?

Love and Reiki Hugs