Quitting the smoke break: a successful partnership with the construction industry

Lorette Dupuis, Heidi McKean, Hilda Chow

The Conference Board of Canada cites that 77% of employees want to receive health information in the workplace. From 2014 to 2016, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) partnered with 25 construction companies, to implement smoking cessation programs on 41 construction sites. OPH partnered with local construction companies, unions, and workers to design, deliver, and evaluate a tailored initiative to build smoke-free culture and encourage quit attempts. Workers received group and one on one counseling and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) from OPH staff. Client satisfaction was assessed and used to inform ongoing quality improvement. Since 2014, this project has expanded from one pilot site to 41 sites and has engaged two of the largest construction companies in Canada. A participant's survey (N = 62) found that at 1 month, 40% remained smoke-free and 38% had reduced the amount tobacco smoked. At 6 months, 34% remained smoke-free and 45% had reduced their consumption of tobacco. Construction workers typically have high smoking rates and low engagement with cessation programs. Public health practitioners working with the construction industry must understand the culture, engage on-site champions, and articulate the added value of tobacco cessation to the business. Using this information on partnering with the construction industry, this innovative program, first of its kind in Canada, could be duplicated in other communities.