Editor,—Worksites represent a promising avenue for reaching smokers who might not otherwise participate in or be exposed to tobacco control activities.1 The need to increase the reach and impact of worksite smoking cessation programmes and smoking policy restrictions has been identified.2 To date, there have been few rigorous, Australian, workplace-based studies involving probability sampling to determine self-reported smoking rates among occupational groups. In particular, there has been no systematic examination of smoking behaviour in Australian healthcare staff.

Healthcare workers are perceived as having a high degree of credibility in health-related matters by the general public3 and are strategically placed to advance the anti-smoking message. Smokers employed in hospital settings set a poor example …