Goodyear Goes "Smoke-Free"

In 2006, Ohio became the 15th U.S. state to pass a strong “smoke-free” law. Voters approved a state-wide issue that prohibits smoking in all public places and most places of employment.

Goodyear recognized the negative effects of first-and second-hand smoke for a long time and already had plans to make its Akron facilities mostly smoke-free beginning in 2007. However, Goodyear chose to make all of its Ohio facilities smoke-free immediately following voter approval of the smoking ban.

Goodyear areas that are now smoke-free include:

• Company-owned or leased buildings.
• Factories in Marysville and St. Marys, Ohio.
• Retail and Wingfoot Commercial Systems locations in Ohio.
• Goodyear-owned recreational areas in Ohio.
• All company garages, parking lots, shuttle vans, limousines, aircraft and buses.
• Company-leased vehicles.
• Vehicles rented by Goodyear associates visiting Ohio on business.

Even before the ban, Goodyear offered smoking cessation classes to help associates who requested it through partnership programs with the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, along with additional support through counseling, hypnotherapy and more.

In 2005, Goodyear also became Ohio’s first major employer to partner with the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation’s (OTPF) Quit Line program. This is a free, confidential telephone counseling service designed to help end tobacco addiction. Any active Ohio associate who dials the Quit Line is eligible to receive nicotine replacement patches free of charge. In 2006, with more than 20 Ohio companies participating, OTPF announced that Ohio tobacco users who combine nicotine patches with telephone counseling had achieved a 42 percent quit rate. In addition, callers who used the OTPF Quit Line counseling without nicotine patches also saw a double-digit quit rate of 26 percent. Although no timeline has been established to extend Goodyear’s success in Ohio to its global operations, many other Goodyear facilities located outside of Ohio have also chosen to modify their smoking policies to restrict where associates can smoke. Goodyear believes its success to date has reinforced its commitment to look for opportunities to make the workplace a healthy environment for associates.