"No Smoking" Stickers heads up

[Hilly64]

heads up for those of you driving trade vans

son in law just been stopped by VOSA on one of their "lets raise some cash" random stop campaigns. full brand new MOT but they still tried the tyres aren't legal boll**cks and it is a tidy van

so having got no where with that hit him with a £150 fine for not having a "No Smoking Sticker" in the van

His business, hard working guy and neither he or anyone in the van/business smoke so ironic really

and the second irony is that had he been caught smoking the fine would be £30

Lets just extort more money from the grafters of this world! World is officially bonkers!

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

My pal was stopped in his van that he uses for his joinery business for ‘smoking’ in a works van.
He told them that it was insured as a commercial vehicle but for social and domestic travel also. Said he was the only person to own and drive it and If he wanted to smoke in it he would.
Basically told them to F off and that was the end of that.

 

[DaveD]

heads up for those of you driving trade vans

son in law just been stopped by VOSA on one of their "lets raise some cash" random stop campaigns. full brand new MOT but they still tried the tyres aren't legal boll**cks and it is a tidy van

so having got no where with that hit him with a £150 fine for not having a "No Smoking Sticker" in the van

His business, hard working guy and neither he or anyone in the van/business smoke so ironic really

and the second irony is that had he been caught smoking the fine would be £30

Lets just extort more money from the grafters of this world! World is officially bonkers!

It's utter madness, a £150 fine for not having a "No smoking" sticker in his van is totally disproportionate when, instead of doing an honest days work, you can steal £199 of steak, cheese and whisky from a supermarket and it's unlikely to even be investigated.
Edit; the sentencing council says, "The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence."

VOSA obviously don't care about proportionality.

 

[Paul Sussex]

It's utter madness, a £150 fine for not having a "No smoking" sticker in his van is totally disproportionate when, instead of doing an honest days work, you can steal £199 of steak, cheese and whisky from a supermarket and it's unlikely to even be investigated.
Edit; the sentencing council says, "The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence."

VOSA obviously don't care about proportionality.

Perhaps say was finished working and being used as personal transport when stopped.

 

[JumpShip]

Why does it need a no smoking sticker ?

 

[Lubrown]

Our work gave out No Smoking stickers even though we use our own vehicles (and have to foot the bill ourselves for business insurance).
Apparently a vehicle still classes as a workplace if we are travelling to site in it.
I never put the sticker in but then one of the vehicles I use is a car and the other a camper so unlikely I’d ever get checked by VOSA.

 

[DaveD]

Why does it need a no smoking sticker ?

To keep jobsworths in a job.

 

[Lubrown]

Why does it need a no smoking sticker ?

A vehicle used for business is apparently considered a workplace. Smoking in a workplace, unless in a designated area, is a bit of a no no due mainly to the chance of causing cancer (an expensive disease to treat) in colleagues.

It’s a blanket law to protect people that don’t feel happy telling their colleagues or boss to stop smoking next to them. Saving them from harm and saving the taxpayers a large bill in terms of healthcare should the worst happen.

 

[Kind of Blue]

A vehicle used for business is apparently considered a workplace. Smoking in a workplace, unless in a designated area, is a bit of a no no due mainly to the chance of causing cancer (an expensive disease to treat) in colleagues.

It’s a blanket law to protect people that don’t feel happy telling their colleagues or boss to stop smoking next to them. Saving them from harm and saving the taxpayers a large bill in terms of healthcare should the worst happen.

That is Fair Enough but I also believe government and all agencies are trying desperately to bring in the cash what ever. Looking how to pay for that increased military spending.

 

[cgtmiles]

I work from home, so do I need a no smoking sticker?

 

[Lubrown]

I work from home, so do I need a no smoking sticker?

I work from home too - they didn’t give me a no smoking stickers even though for that.
I did get sent a tiny first aid kit and have to submit photos of my desk/chair etc. as part of the DSE assessment.

Sadly they don’t pay anything toward heating the house or electricity etc.

It is mostly ass covering for sure but I get the smoking in vehicles thing. Some folks spend hours in vehicles every working day so although the blanket rule seems OTT to most of us there will be cases it makes sense.

 

[Lubrown]

That is Fair Enough but I also believe government and all agencies are trying desperately to bring in the cash what ever. Looking how to pay for that increased military spending.

People always think that. If that were the case then they’re a bit at it…

Example: People say speeding tickets are there to make money - so why all the speed limit and speed camera signs? Any money brought in is ring fenced and has to be spent on road safety - they can’t use the profit to give out bonuses like the private sector could.

And VOSA officers spending hours a day in people carriers patrolling the roads… the odd fine for a missing sticker won’t cover their wages.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d happily pay less taxes, and rich people need to pay more, but many of these fines are ultimately a choice. The information on how to not get fined is usually there to be had.

 

[Paul Sussex]

I work from home too - they didn’t give me a no smoking stickers even though for that.
I did get sent a tiny first aid kit and have to submit photos of my desk/chair etc. as part of the DSE assessment.

Sadly they don’t pay anything toward heating the house or electricity etc.

It is mostly ass covering for sure but I get the smoking in vehicles thing. Some folks spend hours in vehicles every working day so although the blanket rule seems OTT to most of us there will be cases it makes sense.

If your employer says you have to work from home you should be able to claim tax relief. It is slightly different now from when we had to work from home during covid (when the criteria was easier). you can claim back for 7 years I think.

 

[Hilly64]

I have noticed an incremental push to get people back in offices and places of work. I also note that a lot of big employers eg local government have also taken the opportunity to downsize their estate so if everyone went back full time there wouldn’t likely be the accommodation space anymore

Agree no assistance or tax relief so some save at the expense of others

 

[nedwood]

It seems a bit of a push to call a van your workplace, my work starts when I get to site and ends when I leave.

 

[Lubrown]

It seems a bit of a push to call a van your workplace, my work starts when I get to site and ends when I leave.

I guess it stems from vehicles bought by a business for business use. Some might just be to travel between sites, carrying tools, others are arctics which are running 24 hours a day with three shifts and a driver and helper.
In my case it’s my own vehicle my employer expects me to make available and yes, calling that a workplace seems a bit much (having said that I sometimes spend five hours in a vehicle being paid to work). Still not going to put a sticker in my car or camper though, think I’ll get away with it.

 

[Trouts]

It seems a bit of a push to call a van your workplace, my work starts when I get to site and ends when I leave.

on the other side of the coin, my brother gets paid for his travelling time, so i guess that makes it part of his workspace?
as @Lubrown said, a blanket rule that will work of some but not all...

 

[nedwood]

I'd be interested to know how many people have actually been pulled up for this, now I know I'll probably put a sticker up though it will grate me to do it.

Edit. Not having a sign written van would presumably mean you're less likely to be a target ?