Surely this shouldn’t be allowed in an office?

I don't know but I'm pretty sure that vaping in an enclosed office is not allowed. Is there any designated space for people to use? It wouldn't be at all unreasonable for you to say politely but frankly that you can't stand the smell and he needs to take it outside.

I smoke, my partner vapes. We wouldn't do either in our house due to kids and animals. Pretty sure anti smoking laws cover both and while research is limited passive smoke is unlikely to be good for you

Eurgh, vaping! I hate it. Do people realise how ridiculous they look sucking on some silly little plastic tube? And the smell and the steam/smoke/vapour, I almost prefer old fashioned cigarettes. Unless you are doing it to wean yourself off cigarettes it's ridiculous. Where did vapes come from anyway? Just ban the lot of them.

This person should absolutely should not be doing it at your desk, you should really say something to someone senior or an office manager or building manager. I thought in terms of doing it in enclosed spaces they were treated the same as cigarettes?

Sorry, I know I'm being rude and judgey but I really hate them!

No it doesn’t. The chemical that causes ‘popcorn lung’ isn’t used in UK and EU regulated eliquids.

OP, wailing it’s giving you headaches and is a health risk is being dramatic. Just speak up that it bothers you without the handwringing.

I don't think so. But it creates an unpleasant working environment. It is certainly the norm for it not be allowed in offices.

No. It’s not illegal to vape indoors. It’s up to the venue / manager to decide.

Plenty of pubs allow vaping.

I'd prefer cigarette smoke to the horrid smell of sickly sweet vapes. YANBU

I didn't think that was even allowed. I would not be able to tolerate that. Speak to your manager. Say it's making you feel unwell. If you get no joy go to HR. How can that even been allowed! Surely the other people don't like it either. It is very rude of them to put you in this position where you feel like you are making a fuss.

Your work absolutely should have a policy about this. Fuck that.

As you are in a new job so it's a bit tricky you could ask if there could be a designated vaping room as you are struggling with the smell - rather than jumping straight to the conclusion that they should go outside.

Nope! It's perfectly legal to vape indoors!

It's perfectly safe passively, it's just scented steam!

Stop it!

If you are going to post about the negatives of vapes have the common sense and courtesy not to leap straight to the myths and scaremongering lies.

No matter what any of us think about vaping anyone going to HR citing 'popcorn lung' is going to get labelled as the office loon

That’s disgusting! It shouldn’t be allowed. The sickly sweet smell of vapes turns my stomach.

I thought vaping was classed as smoking, therefore it's something to be done in designated outdoor smoking areas

I vape, and I work in an office. I would never vape in front of my colleague (there is only 2 of us). We work in separate offices, and if he is in my room .... the vape would never be used.

We used to work together in the same office (moved buildings in April) and I would take myself outside on the way to the loo for a quick puff.

Most places have a policy of no smoking OR vaping on the premises. Im not sure whether its illegal indoors as smoking is, but its antisocial anyway. As an ex smoker i hate the sickly smell and would rather be near a smoker than a vaper. I also don't believe its any less harmful than smoking either

That gross! I can't believe someone would be allowed to vape in an office... I would say something and get it sorted. Far too intrusive.

I’d have to speak to a boss or HR about it, I’m highly sensitive to artificial scents so I would an actually have to resign from the job if people were vaping in a confined space. Was the interview held somewhere else, did you not get shown where you would be working? I would have withdrawn my interest in the job at that stage and avoided the whole situation.

It's not against the law, it isn't covered by the smoking ban. I don't believe there is anything you can do about it.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c2f5412e5274a6599225de8/PHE-advice-on-use-of-e-cigarettes-in-public-places-and-workplaces.PDF

Yeah that's horrible. You're definitely not being unreasonable and I'd bet you're not the only person in that office who hates this. Grim.

Small companies are a bit messy on that front and you’re new, I’d probably suss out what the others think before saying anything.

It’s grim though, one of my coworkers always has an assortment of vapes and energy drinks in her desk and I always think to myself how rank it looks if a client ever comes in.

She hides in the toilets to vape tho, like most people. I’ve never heard of it being allowed like that.

Personally I would get a can of wasp spray and discharge into his face but then I am in no mood to be trifled with today.

Where on earth do you work that permits this sort of thing, anyway?