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I work for a courier company that has garage doors. The employees and managers stand at these doors and smoke. All smoke is coming into the bldg. What are my rights?

Smoke from cigarettes at work

The situation you describe sounds like it violates Massachusetts law regarding smoke-free places of employment.  You should, of course, first try talking to your boss and ask that the smoking place be moved an acceptable distance away from the doors.  If that does not work out, try contacting the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 800-992-1895.  You should also be aware that over 100 cities and towns in Massachusetts have local laws requiring smoke free environments at such locations as restaurants and places of employment.  So call you local board of health as well.

FYI, the relevant Massachusetts regulations on this subject (105 CMR 661) state, in part:

661.200:  Smoking in Outdoor Spaces

        Smoking may be permitted in an outdoor space, provided that the outdoor
        space is physically separated from an enclosed work space and there is no
        migration of smoke into the work space, in accordance with the following
        requirements.

For more general information about your employee rights, visit our Massachusetts Employment Law Discussion Forum.

 

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