47
A raw deal
Most casino workers believe lighting up should be allowed
inside gaming venues – with restrictions
by Emanuel Graça
T
he majority of Macau casino
workers dislike being exposed
to second-hand smoke at work.
A recent study into the knowledge,
attitudes and experiences of Macau’s
casino workers with regard to second-
hand smoke exposure at work found
most of them support the establish-
ment of smoking and non-smoking
areas for customers and would like
greater restrictions than those that ex-
ist now.
The study, by Penny Wan, from the
University of Macau, and Paul A. Pilk-
ington, from the University of the West
of England, was published in the last
issue of the academic journal Interna-
tional Gambling Studies. A total of 377
workers were interviewed face-to-face.
It found that 42 percent and 40 per-
cent of the casino workers reported be-
ing “nearly always exposed” and “often
exposed” to second-hand smoke at work,
respectively.
Also, 49 percent rated the intensity
of their exposure as “heavy”.
Designated areas
A significant 42 percent would like to see
a ban on smoking in all customer/working
areas. The majority - 54 percent - would
prefer a mixture of smoking and non-
smoking customer areas, the study says.
Workers were also asked to report
on whether they had experienced any of
a number of sensory or respiratory irri-
tation symptoms.
A minority, 22 percent, said they
believed that they had suffered health
problems as a result of exposure to sec-
ond-hand smoke at work.
Many reported the presence of res-
piratory and sensory irritation symp-
toms in the previous four weeks.
In the dark They say casino workers were surprised to official figures.
Associations in Macau representing ca- when they learned about the exemption. It is the sector with the highest
sino workers accuse the government of At present almost 44,000 people number of employees in Macau.
exempting casinos from the smoking work in Macau’s casino industry. Of Some local casinos already provide
ban without listening to their opinions. those, almost half are dealers, according designated rooms for non-smokers.
March 2010
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