Skin and respiratory problems

This is, for instance, the case in regard to work with citrus fruits, shellfish, fish, meat and certain vegetables and flowers that might cause an allergic reaction in the form of a rash or itching. The same applies if skin comes into contact with cleaning agents and disinfectants.

health damaging impacts. The frying odours often include substances that may cause cancer if the employee is exposed to them for a longer period of time.

Steam from washing machines and tank machines may also be harmful to inhale, because the steam may contain substances from the detergent that are health hazardous. If you use a tank machine for washing up, large quantities of steam are released when you open the machine after the final flush. Likewise steam is released when opening an ordinary dishwasher before the tableware has dried off. There is a statutory requirement that the steam must be removed through local exhaust ventilation or a fume hood. If you open an ordinary dishwasher after the tableware has dried off, there is no requirement about local exhaust ventilation or fume hoods.

If you clean the cooking and frying facilities using sprays, brushes or similar, and afterwards heat up the oven or frying pans, there is a risk of inhaling vapours that are harmful to your health.

passive smoking is the reason for increased risk of lung cancer, heart disease and chronic illness of the respiratory passages; e.g. the risk of lung cancer increases by 25 per cent when non-smokers are exposed to passive smoking.

Employees at restaurants, bars etc. are to a much higher degree than most other job functions exposed to passive smoking; in fact even more than the level measured in homes of smokers.
New rules concerning smoking in public places were introduced from 15 August 2007. According to the legislation, smoking is generally not allowed indoors in public places.

As the owner of your own business, you are obligated to draw up a smoking policy. Your smoking policy must as a minimum include two elements. The smoking policy should inform the employees of:

• whether the employees are allowed to smoke at your place of business, and if so, where they may smoke;
• the consequences of violating the smoking policy.

However, you may not decide the whole smoking policy yourself. In order to protect the employees from passive smoking, it is no longer allowed to smoke indoors at workplaces. Even if legislation does not allow smoking at workplaces you are allowed to:

• set up a smoking room or smoking cabin;
• allow for an employee to smoke if she is working alone in the room.

If your place of business sells or serves food, the rules on smoking also apply to the customers. Neither the customers nor the employees are permitted to smoke indoors at places that serve or sell food. You may set up smoking rooms for customers, but you are not permitted to serve food or drinks to customers who are inside the smoking room. However, the customers are allowed to bring food and drinks into the smoking room. Small bars and serving places are subject to an exemption from the Act. It may be decided to allow smoking indoors if the area of serving is less than 40 m2 and if food is not being served in the room.

The person responsible for the place of business must ensure compliance with the smoking rules. If employees or customers are not in compliance with the smoking rules at your place of business, the Danish WEA may issue a fine to your place of business.