English
Smoking
28 May 2015
Encourage your employees to quit smoking.
Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people a year1 and contributes to many of the world’s “lifestyle” illnesses including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. People who smoke have an increased risk of cancer of the lung and other organs.
International SOS supports the World Health Organization's initiative to raise awareness on the dangers of tobacco use.
No matter how long or how much someone has smoked, quitting has an immediate positive impact on their body.
Benefits of quitting
| Time since quitting | Health benefits |
| 20 minutes | Blood pressure and pulse drop to normal |
| 12 hours | The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal |
| 1 day | Heart attack risk starts decreasing |
| 2 days | Sense of taste and smell starts to return |
| 1 month | Energy level increases, skin tone improves |
| Within 6 months | Fewer cold and other respiratory infections |
| 1 year | Heart disease risk decreases to half that of a smoker |
| 5-15 years | Stroke risk is as low as a non-smoker |
| 15 years | Heart disease risk is as low as a non-smoker |
As an employer, you can help protect your employees from second hand smoke by making the workplace smoke free. Encourage and support workers in their attempts to quit. Consider holding health promotion sessions and providing access to smoking cessation programmes.
1. World Health Organisation Tobacco Fact Sheet
