North Carolina § 131E-143 - Smoking prohibited; penalty.

§ 131E-143. Smoking prohibited; penalty.

A home care agency shall prohibit its employees from smoking while providing services to an individual in the individual's home. The home care agency shall inform its clients that employees of the agency are prohibited from smoking in a client's home. As used in this section: "Employee" includes an individual under contract with the home care agency to provide home care services. "Smoking" means the use or possession of any lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other lighted smoking product. The Department may impose an administrative penalty not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) for each violation on any person who owns, manages, operates, or otherwise controls the home care agency and fails to comply with this section. A violation of this section constitutes a civil offense only and is not a crime. History (2007-459, s. 4.) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2007-459, s. 5, made this section effective October 1, 2007, and applicable to violations committed on or after that date. Session Laws 2007-459, s. 5, further provides: "G.S. 131D-4.4(c)(3) 131E-114.3(b)(3), and 122C-6(b)(3), as enacted by this act, apply to individuals admitted to the facility on or after October 1, 2007. G.S. 130A-493(c)(2) , as enacted by this act, applies to individuals admitted to the hospital on or after January 1, 2008." PART 3A. HOME CARE CLIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS.