Business owners are not obliged to have a smoking shelter for staff or patrons, but where a decision is made to make a provision of a smoking shelter, it must comply with the regulations set out in the Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. These regulations state that any smoking shelter must not be wholly enclosed, or substantially enclosed. In practice this means a smoking shelter must not have sides, including doors, windows or other fittings that can be opened or shut, that enclose more than 50% of the shelter.
Below is a visual guide which demonstrates how the 50% rule is applied in the field –
Examples of Compliant Smoking Shelters
Examples of Non-Compliant Smoking Shelters
