Background:
Exposure to secondhand smoking causes serious health risks. Since 2006, Belgium has smoke-free laws in place for workplaces. Private homes are an exception. In Flanders (Belgium) over 100000 people work in private homes as social workers, cleaning ladies etc., and are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke.

Objective:
The objective was to develop an intervention to protect domestic workers from exposure to tobacco smoke.

Method:
First, we conducted in-dept interviews with ten employers about the policies that are in place to protect their employees from secondhand smoke. In collaboration with the Fight Against Cancer, the unions, and employer organization, we searched and analyzed company policies and good examples from other EU countries related to tobacco smoke exposure. Second, we developed and tested guidelines and a toolkit with communication and education materials.

Results:
We analyzed 25 company policies and five good practices from other EU countries. There are many good practices/examples. But there is a big difference between corporations. Most companies do not have any policy that protects employees from tobacco smoke exposure. Employers expressed the need for customer awareness, education for employees, and policy guidelines for employers. Together with the partners, we developed and tested guidelines and a toolkit to help employers to raise awareness among costumers, install a smoke-free policy and educate and empower employees.

Conclusion:
A lot of corporations do not have any policy to protect their employees against tobacco smoke. The guidelines and toolkit provide to their needs and encourages them to take action.