SMOKING GUIDELINES

July 2016

Surf Life Saving Queensland is committed to raising the awareness of the health and safety issues associated with smoking. The aim of this guideline is to ensure the provision of a smoke free environment and to ensure the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products does not compromise the safety or health of lifesaving personnel or others.

Apart from the known risks to member health, smoking while on active lifesaving duties including beach patrols does not present an appropriate image.

PATROL MEMBERS SHALL NOT SMOKE WHILE IN UNIFORM, IN THE PUBLIC’S VIEW AND WHILE REPRESENTING THE ORGANISATION.

Smoking brings with it additional hazards in terms of fire safety.

PERSONNEL MUST NOT SMOKE NEAR OXYGEN EQUIPMENT, FUEL OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF FIRE OR EXPLOSION.

Where appropriate, information explaining the health risks associated with smoking will be provided.

Tobacco and other Smoking Products Act 1998 and Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Regulation 2010

The following are extracts from the Tobacco and other Smoking Products Act 1998 and Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Regulation 2010.

26ZH person must not smoke at a patrolled beach.
1. A person must not smoke in a patrolled beach area of a patrolled beach. Maximum penalty – 20 penalty units.
2. In this section –
Line means an imaginary line.

Patrolled beach is a beach on which red and yellow flags mark the boundaries for safe swimming at the beach.

Patrolled beach area, of a patrolled beach, is the area within –
a) A line, at right angles to 1 end of a straight line between the flags, extending seawards for 50m and landwards to the extent of any registered land;
b) Another straight line, at right angles to the other end of the line between the flags extending seawards for 50 m and landwards to the extent of any registered land;
c) A line joining the landwards ends of the lines mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b) that follow the boundary of any registered land; and
d) A straight line joining the seaward ends of the lines mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b).

Registered land means –
a) Freehold land on the free hold land register under the Land Title Act 1994; or
b) Leasehold land, road, reserve, trust land, license, permit or state Hosing lease, recorded on a register under the Land Act 1994.

Seawards means in the direction of the water to which the flags.

Relate 26ZI person must not smoke at a prescribed outdoor.

Swimming area -
1. A person must not smoke at a prescribed outdoor swimming area between sunrise and sunset. Maximum penalty – 20 penalty units.
2. In this section –
Outdoor swimming area means an area in, or adjacent to, a pool or other body of water used by the public for swimming. Example – an artificial beach.

Prescribed outdoor swimming area means an outdoor swimming area, or part of an outdoor swimming area, prescribed under a regulation.

1. Both the state and local governments have a role in administering this division.
2. However, nothing in this division imposes a duty on a local government to enforce this division.

26ZN role of local government

In exercising its jurisdiction of local government in enforcing this division, the local government has its executive role –
a) To administer and enforce this division in the local government’s area; and
b) For a patrolled beach area of a patrolled beach or a prescribed outdoor swimming area whether it is adjacent to or within the local government’s area.