"Now we can all breathe a little easier," read one Rhode Island Department of Health slogan in support of the Public Health and Workplace Safety Act, which went into effect March 1.
During the past week, breathing in restaurants and offices became a great deal easier, according to local restaurant managers and a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Health. Only a handful of violations and concerns were noted.
The act, which prohibits smoking in the workplace and almost all public places in Rhode Island, was signed into law last August. Advocates of the bill presented it as a health initiative to protect workers and the general public from the damaging effects of secondhand smoke.
On Sunday and Monday, after the first smoke-free weekend, Providence restaurant managers and workers reported largely positive results, citing both the improved air quality and simplified logistics of running a restaurant without separate smoking and non-smoking sections.
"We have had no problems whatsoever," said the owner of Andréas Restaurant at 268 Thayer St., who requested her name not be used.
"Now we can seat people at the bar" regardless of whether or not they smoke, an Andréas waitress said. She explained that customers often object to tables in the non-smoking section because of their proximity to the smoky bar. She said the ban "made my job a lot easier this weekend."
Konstantinos Karampetsos, the general manager of Kartabar Restaurant and Lounge at 284 Thayer St., said the significant health benefits of the ban have made him consider the new law a "a great thing," regardless of any economic concerns.
"We haven't had any problems other than too many cigarette butts hanging around the street corners," said the office manager of Trinity Brewhouse and Restaurant at 186 Fountain St., speaking on behalf of owner Josh Miller. "We haven't had to yell at anybody."
Armando Dias, manager of Paragon and Viva on Thayer Street, agreed that the health benefits were noticeable, saying that "the air is certainly clearer - now we can smell people's perfume and cologne, which is sometimes a good thing, and sometimes not."
Bill Dundulis, environmental health risk assessment toxicologist at the Rhode Island Department of Health, said his department has been "very encouraged" by preliminary reports of the ban's implementation. As of last Friday, there were no formal legal complaints or infractions filed, Dundulis said.
There were, however, some phone calls reporting violations.
These calls do not constitute a formal violation report, Dundulis said, explaining that a legal complaint requires the completion of an official form available from the Office of Environmental Health Assessment or the Tobacco Control Program.
These offices will respond to informal complaint calls, but that preliminary warning does not "count as a strike against the place," Dundulis said. Instead, the department "will send a non-binding advisory to the building advisor (and) request cooperation to our mutual benefit."
Dundulis estimated that a dozen or so calls had been received by Friday afternoon. "Each (complaint) is unique," he said, "but the biggest problem is that people know they have to move outside but they move right outside the door, which is no good, because the smoke blows right back in."
Dundulis described the excessive smoke directly outside of a building's entrance as "a corridor of smoke" that requires entering employees to "run the gauntlet" of smoke on their way in.
Informal advisories will be sent to those workplaces that reported this problem. Dundulis said the law states that even when smokers are outside, "the smoking area has to be such that smoke from that area can't migrate back into areas where smoke is prohibited."
Dundulis stressed that his department hopes to work closely with the citizens of Rhode Island to promote voluntary compliance over enforcement procedures.
"We would much rather do outreach and talk with you ... to improve the health of everyone," he said. "But if that doesn't work, we will try the enforcement approach."
The owner of Andréas Restaurant also said the increase in outdoor smoking is a negative side effect of the ban. While people tend to expect to find fresh air outdoors, she said, the opposite is true.
Now that smokers have migrated to sidewalks, "You can cut the smoke with a knife," she said.
Though many owners had largely positive feedback concerning the ban's compliance, Andréas' owner said she did not necessarily believe the measure was necessary.
An alternate measure - such as a designated area with an exhaust fan to keep smoke from disturbing other patrons - could also address the negative health implications of indoor smoking, she said.
There were also a few reports of noncompliant customers who responded with hostility to the prohibition of smoking in restaurants.
Dias, the manager of Paragon, said some patrons tried to "get away" with smoking, but said "the fine is too great" to ignore an infraction. Failure to post "No Smoking" signs or to address reported violations can each induce a fine of $1,000, according to the Department of Health guidelines for the ban.
Dias said one woman opted to leave the restaurant when informed she could not smoke indoors.
"I don't know where else she went to smoke," Dias said.
