Kate E. Breiter, MPH candidate and Jean Forster, PhD. Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 S. Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 812-335-1446, breiterkate@hotmail.com

Background: The majority of workers in the U.S. are employed by small worksites, yet little is known about smoking policies in these sites. Objective: To examine correlates of current smoking policies in small worksites in both metro area and outstate MN and to determine knowledge and attitudes of the owners/managers regarding the new Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) rules that will apply to them. Methods: Mailed survey of stratified random sample of owners/ managers of factories, warehouses, and offices with <50 employees (final N=263, response rate =66%) Results: Although 64% of the worksites claimed to have a smoking policy, only 40% of those, or 24% of the total sample had a policy in writing. Worksites that offered health insurance to their employees were more likely to have a written policy (p<.0001) as were factories/warehouses in rural areas compared to other worksites (p=.003). Outstate worksites overall had stronger policies compared to metro sites, and offices had stronger policies than factories/warehouses in the metro area. Only about one-third of the businesses had heard of the upcoming MCIAA rule changes. Most were either neutral or positive about the upcoming changes. Conclusions: The majority of small businesses in MN do not have a smoking policy and their employees are not protected from exposure to second hand smoke.

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