Secondhand Smoke Lawsuit Brought Against Caesar's Casino In Vegas

Around the country there is a growing number of people who do not want to work in a smoke-filled environment. Although some believe these casino workers should find employment elsewhere, the workers are backed by unions, and want action now.

A former Caesars Palace employee is suing the casino, claiming the casino did not do enough to protect their workers against the dangers of secondhand smoke. It has been documented by the Surgeon General of the US that secondhand smoke could be, indeed, harmful to a person's health.

"The point of this lawsuit is not to ban smoking in casinos," said Jay Edelson, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Tomo Stevens, "The real goal is to change what they're doing. At least offer areas that are nonsmoking where employees can circle in and out."

What many of these casino workers are concerned with is not the smoke itself, it is the way the casinos handle the smoke. Las Vegas casinos have been slow to install ventilation systems that can handle the amount of smoke that goes through their casinos on a daily basis.

A study done by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health that was concluded back in May, claimed that workers at not only Caesars, but also Bally's, and Paris Las Vegas, had chemicals in their urine that was from secondhand smoke. The chemicals were classified as unhealthy in the study.

Individual states have stepped in with the secondhand smoke problem. Laws have been created banning smoking in public places and the public has responded well to the bans. Although the initial reaction is fear, once the ban is in place figures show that business returns to their normal levels.

July 24, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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