SMOKING BY STAFF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23437, 29 August 1939, Page 10

SMOKING BY STAFF

BAN AT NURSES' -HOME NEED FOR PRECAUTIONS , ■ .—J RECENT INCIDENT REPORTED The necessity for strict care to bo taken in regulating smoking by tho female staff at tho Nurses' Home was urged by the lady superintendent of the Auckland Hospital, Miss E. M. Nutsey, in a report to tho Hospital Board last night following a complaint from tho staff, made to their union, about tho prohibition of smoking in tho staff sitting room. "The regulation prohibiting smoking in various parts of tho Nurses' Home," said Miss Nutsey, "has been made .to safeguard human lives, and thcro is a grave danger'of firo through carelessness on tho part of tho staff. Last week a firo was extinguished in ono of tho maids' , changing rooms. A smoking butt had been thrown into a waste paper basket, and when found, tho contorts of the basket wero on firo. ''lf this had not been discovered early," added Miss Nutsey, "nothing could liavo saved a disastrous fire in the Nurses' Homo. There aro no smoking rooms in the homo. It was built many years ago, when such provision was not required. I should not like to take tho responsibility of allowing smoking in sc-mo parts of the homo, and especially in tho part that is not fireproof. Ten. nurses have their bedrooms above tho maids' sitting room, and I do not feel that sufficient care could bo taken in such a small room used as a smoking room." Tho report was adopted.