Vaping at the office: the practical guide

Vaping at the office: the practical guide

Since 2007, the use of the e-cigarette has been subject to restrictions in enclosed and collective spaces in France. The ban on vaping applies to several workplaces, including closed public transport, shared offices and places intended to welcome minors. However, and despite the context, the regulations do not systematically prohibit the use of the e-cigarette. In order to help you better understand the regulations surrounding the use of the e-cigarette and to determine in which situations you can or cannot vape at the office, Le Vapoteur Discount has gathered all the essential elements to remember in its practical guide!

Can I vape at the office?

You want to vape at the office but you don't know which rules apply to your situation? Despite the ban in force in certain workplaces, you are still allowed to vape in the following cases:
If you work in a place that welcomes the public: you can vape in the common areas (public spaces).
If you work in a closed private space: it is not forbidden to use your e-cigarette in an individual workshop/office, or in a space where no one has an assigned workstation.
However, if you work in a place that welcomes minors, in an open-plan office or in a closed public transport vehicle, you are in no way allowed to vape at your workstation.

Places where vaping is prohibited

Article L3513-6 of the French Public Health Code extends the ban on vaping to 3 types of places, which we explain in more detail below. If you work in one of the following places and use your vape device, you are liable to a class 2 fine; i.e. up to €150. The managers of establishments who fail to enforce this ban by not putting in place adequate signage are themselves liable to a fine of up to €750. 

Places intended to welcome minors

The ban on vaping is in force in places intended for the reception, education, accommodation or sporting activities of minors. It is therefore strictly forbidden to vape within the premises of schools, nurseries, training centres, youth centres, holiday clubs, etc.; whether in indoor spaces or outdoor spaces (gardens, courtyards, halls, grounds, etc.).

Closed public transport

The law also prohibits vaping in closed public transport: buses, metro, trains, taxis, planes, inside a boat, etc. This usage restriction applies to passengers as well as to the driver/pilot and staff. However, vaping is permitted in the outdoor area of a boat.

Closed, covered and collective workplaces

For this type of location, the law provides for 2 scenarios. Vaping is therefore not systematically prohibited depending on the nature of the place where you work.

Public establishments: from the moment anyone is free to enter the premises of an establishment, even if it is closed, covered and collective, vaping is not prohibited there. Thus, and by way of example, you are allowed to vape in restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, theatres, cinemas, museums, nightclubs, shopping centres, shops, as well as in healthcare establishments such as hospitals.

Closed, covered and collective workplaces not open to the public: the law formally prohibits vaping at work when you are in a workshop or shared office, a meeting room, etc. However, it is possible to vape in corridors, the reception hall, the break room, toilets, changing rooms, at the coffee machine, or even if you work in a private office; so many possibilities that quickly make you forget the ban on vaping at the office!

Although vapers have partial or even full green light in these types of establishments, the internal regulations of an establishment may however impose certain restrictions and override the authorisation to vape. These exceptional restrictions must appear clearly in the regulations and be reminded at the entrance or within the building, by means of appropriate signage. However, and given that the law does not provide for a prohibition concerning these places, no fine is applicable to vapers who do not comply with the "vaping ban" set out in their company's internal regulations; just as no fine applies to employers who do not enforce their "ban". In any case, it is still preferable to comply with your company's internal regulations if you wish to maintain a healthy and respectful relationship with your employer.