In her recent commentary on invasion of privacy, Debra Fleischman brought up some interesting issues. However, she failed to point out the real reason why USG Corporation banned its employees from smoking. Although USG probably won’t admit it, the smoking ban is designed to head off future liability claims.

Many companies already realize that smoking employees tend to miss more days due to illness, and the majority of medical insurance claims are submitted by smokers. In this era of ridiculously high insurance rates, many companies and public entities are finding it harder to afford insurance coverage, if they can even get it. The smoking ban is just one way for companies to combat those rising rates.

The thing that differentiates USG from other companies is that their Chicago plant manufactures asbestos products. A recent study by the U.S. Surgeon General found that smoking increases the chances of respiratory illness among asbestos workers by a factor of 50, whether they smoke at work or at home. (Insight Magazine, Mar. 2, 1987.)

So, unless you plan on working at an asbestos plant, the chances are that you won’t be banned from smoking off the job.

The most interesting thing brought to light here is that any constitutional right to privacy applies only to action by government bodies, not by private companies. Companies can do just about anything, as long as they don’t discriminate against sex, age, religion, handicap, or race.

Phil Kessler

junior

Marketing