DaytonBarbeque.com

EATON, Ohio — Ohio voters approved a ban on smoking in all public places and work places last November.

Their votes come home to roost this week.

By Thursday all businesses and places of employment have to have signs posted declaring that they are “smoke free” and providing a phone number where people can complain if they’re not.

All ashtrays and butt cans have to be removed.

And employees and supervisors need to be prepared to stop anyone caught breaking the ban.

Enforcement of the new law begins Dec. 7 and it is going to be the responsibility of health departments to make sure the law isn’t broken.

“We’ll be doing a lot more education than enforcement at first,” Preble County Health Department administrator Melissa Howell said.

County sanitarians will be responsible for enforcement and much of the education.

The most visible sign of the new law will be the signs required at each entrance of public buildings and businesses.

The message is simple — “No smoking.” If the international symbol system is used — with a circle and a slash — the signs must be red and black, otherwise, they can be all black.

Howell said businesses can download copies of the sign from an Ohio Health Department web site. People who need help with the process can visit the local health department.

The signs must have the complaint number — (866) 559-6446. Without the phone number, the sign is in violation.

Employers and proprietors face fines if they don’t comply with the law.

A second violation of the new law can lead to fines of up to $100 per day.

Lighting up can lead to fines for individuals.

“We’re recommending that every business identify some people to deal with people who violate the no smoking law,” Howell said.

A final set of rules to go with the new law will be completed by the Ohio Department of Health within six months.

Implementing the new law is raising questions.

“The state health department is already getting about 100 calls per day,” Howell said. “People want to know what to do.”

One major problem is the fact that many businesses don’t know about the sign requirement.

“We didn’t know about it,” Wendy Baumbach said.

She and her husband Tom operate Baumbach’s Pit Barbeque in New Paris. The new smoking regulations are no hardship for the Baumbachs. Their restaurant has been smoke-free since they took over.

They have always had a no smoking policy, but now they will need the sign too.

Wendy Baumbach doesn’t see a down side to the looming smoking ban. She doesn’t believe their restaurant’s policy has hurt the business.

“In fact, I think it may have helped it,” Baumbach said. The Baumbach’s instituted their policy because they were concerned about “our health, the health of kids and our customers,” Baumbach said. The new law only confirms their practices and becomes law this week.

There are only a handful of places where smokers can still light up. They include retail tobacco stores (where 80 percent of the revenue comes from tobacco), nursing homes with defined sections, “smoking rooms” in hotels, family businesses where all of he employees are related and the public doesn’t come, private club that don’t have employees and don’t allow kids to come in and outdoor patios designated as smoking areas, but not attached to any building.

Other than that, smokers have to go home to indulge their habit.

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