Abstract

In the Province of Ontario the right to work in a smoke-free work place was granted when the Smoke-Free Ontario Act was enacted May 31st, 2006 . Home health care workers have the right to ask a person not to smoke in their presence and can leave without providing further services, unless doing so would present an immediate, serious danger to the health of any person. While the Act may seem clear, employer guidelines informing home health care workers on how to provide a reasonable level of care to vulnerable and at risk clients in this new safety-focused culture are not. This paper analyzes a case study in which client and staf rights and responsibilities within the context of this legislation are reviewed. A real-life organizational solution triggered by the ethical dilemmas in the case scenario is presented