Background

Multiple studies have found that, compared with employees in other settings, workers in bars and restaurants have been exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke, putting them at increased risk for health complications. Among these bar employees are many women of low socioeconomic status. Smoke free workplace ordinances have been extended to bars and restaurants in cities and states throughout the USA; some bars, however, continue to allow violations of these laws.

 

The Current Study

This study observed smoking behavior in 121 randomly selected bars in San Francisco, California and interviewed bartenders and patrons in the bars.

 

Results

The proportion of bars with female bar staff varied according to the dominant ethnicity of patrons. In bars that serve primarily Asian patrons, 82% of staff were female as were 58% of staff in bars serving Irish patrons and 85% of staff in bars serving Latino patrons. Overall in the city, 41% of bartender staff were female.

Bars with female bartenders were more likely to violate smoke free policies than bars with male bartenders. The exception to this finding was in Latino bars, which overwhelmingly complied with the smoke free ordinance.

Bars catering to primarily Asian patrons were largely noncompliant with the ordinance, causing female staff in these bars to be disproportionately deprived of the benefits of this worker protection act. Similarly, bars with primarily Irish clientele violated the ordinance.

 

Conclusion

The workplace for bartenders can be improved by the enforcement of strong smoke free workplace ordinances. Cultural differences in the management and patronage of bars appear to have an impact on how well the ordinances are followed.

 

The Take-Home Message

The management of bars cannot always be relied upon to adhere to smoke free workplace ordinances. Enforcement of these ordinances is necessary in order to protect the largely female, low income staff of these bars.

 

Reference

Tobacco free workplace policies and low socioeconomic status female bartenders in San Francisco, Roland S Moore, Juliet P Lee, Tamar M J Antin, Scott E Martin, J Epidemiol Community Health 2006;60(Suppl II):ii51–ii56. doi: 10.1136/jech.2005.04559

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