A new research has put forward new statistics revealing industry wise smoking rates with people working in the food service and accommodation industries topping the charts at 31 per cent as most likely to smoke than other workers in the UK.
New statistics revealed by British Heart Foundation (BHF) ranks UK industries with the highest smoking rates and food and accommodation service industry tops the charts as the worst with almost a third – 31 per cent – of workers revealing that they smoke. This is thrice the best sector – education – where only 11 per cent workers said they smoke.
“The water and waste management industry ranked second worst with 29 per cent of workers currently smoking, followed by the construction industry with 28 per cnet – significantly higher than the national smoking rate of 19 per cent”, BHF notes in a press release. “The other industries with the lowest smoking rates included the professional, scientific and technology sectors where around one in eight workers currently smoke.”
“No matter what industry you work in, smoking is extremely damaging to your heart health and the health of your business”, said Lisa Young, Project Manager for our Health at Work programme. “But this research shows there is still a shocking divide between blue and white collar professions when it comes to how many of us are taking up this deadly addiction.”
BHF has revealed the figures ahead of the No Smoking Day on March 11 and has also revealed that as many as 74 million cigarettes on an average are puffed away by the UK workforce. This, BHF says, means that one smoker smokes 12 cigarettes per day.
The charity says that smoking just one to four cigarettes a day can triple a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease and quitting is possibly the single best thing people can do to improve their heart health.
Further it has also revealed that smoking hampers productivity of organisations as an average smoker takes more sick leave and working breaks compared to non-smoking colleagues. This, BHF adds, costs UK businesses an estimated £8.7 billion in lost productivity every year.
Young stressed that BHF wants all UK employers to help their workers kick the habit for good.
“By taking part in No Smoking Day, employers could help their staff take the single biggest step towards a healthier heart whilst reaping the benefits of a stronger, more productive workforce.”
