About 30 percent of nonsmoking workers in Taiwan are exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace even though smoking has been banned in common work areas since 2009, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said.
The rate of secondhand smoke exposure at offices in Taiwan climbed to 28.1 percent in 2022, up from 22.1 percent in 2020, the agency said in a statement earlier this week.
During the same three-year period, 19.7 percent of workers smoked at work in 2022, up from 17.6 percent in 2020, with the smoking rate among men increasing from 26.9 percent to 30 percent, and the rate among women rising from 4.2 percent to 4.6 percent, it said.
Since the nationwide ban on smoking in indoor workplaces shared by three or more people took effect on Jan. 11, 2009, those contravening the regulation have been subject to a fine of NT$10,000.
However, complaints about smoking on the job — mostly in a toilet or on a balcony — are still common, HPA Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said.
Lu encouraged members of the public to report workplace smoking at the toll-free hotline 0800-531-531, and said that local health authorities would step up inspections after receiving complaints.
Citing a research by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the HPA statement said that smoking poses a major risk to adult workers.
It also said secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace increases the risk of diseases like heart failure, stroke and lung cancer for nonsmokers.
In other news, two handbooks on handling pain arising from cancer and non-cancer chronic pain have been published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with English versions available for foreign caregivers.
FDA commissioned Chi Mei Medical Center to compile the two handbooks, Handbook of Non-Cancer Chronic Pain Care and Handbook of Cancer Pain Care, covering topics including pain assessment, causes and several kinds of treatment.
The handbooks also cover non-cancer pain — pain lasting for more than three months — identifying causes including physical, visceral or neural damage.
Many foreign caregivers in Taiwan assist individuals unable to care for themselves and these caregivers might not understand Chinese, said Wang Jhi-joung (王志中), one of the editors of the handbooks and a chair professor at Chi Mei Medical Center, on Wednesday.
“By publishing an English version [of the handbooks], these people [foreign caregivers] will be able to learn how to take care of themselves and how to care for their care recipients,” Wang added.
The electronic versions of the two handbooks are now available to download from FDA’s official Web site: https://www.fda.gov.tw/tc/publications.aspx.
When asked about whether a version of the handbooks in Bahasa — the language used by most of the 179,000 Indonesian caregivers in Taiwan — would be available in the future, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) said that the option would be considered, but he did not mention a specific plan.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS