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Q: Why are Chinese office bathrooms smoking areas?
Anyone found alternatives to get these people to stop smoking? I realize breaking into each stall and rip the cigarette out of the guy's hand isn't feasible, but one of these days I might just bring my mug, fill it with water and toss it over the door.
Don't these people realize there's such a thing as fire hazards? Don't they realize others are choking on their shit? Talk about being disrespectful.
11 years 46 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
It is up to company standards.
In some - they smoke everywhere, in some - they smoke only outside.
I spend most of my worktime in factory office, but sometimes I use bathrooms by the warehouse, and it is just fine. And it is fine, because there are fines... 5RMB for spotted smoker, throwing trash everywhere, spitting on the floor etc.
And it is small factory, about 100 in production line, and 20 in office.
But it all depends on company standards. And company standards depends on owner...
best way would be to confront them or find the perpetrator who is smoking in the toilet and tell him to smoke outside as it is a building and should be smoke free if the management decide to have this rule.
Throwing water would no doubt end a fisty fight and you will be the one that will get the blame.
Another option and you know its a person in your office is to tell the manager of this behavior.
enjoying a lung-full of carcinogenic tobacco smoke whilst savoring the aroma of feces and urine.... truly delightful.
NOT
I suppose they look at the washroom the same way they view elevators. Small enclosed space must be perfect for smoking. 
No need to wait until getting to the bathroom to smoke here....just light up anywhere. Thankfully no smokers in my office...but when the boss pays a visit, you can usually smell him coming long before he gets here 
There seems to be a general lack of knowledge in China about the harmfulness of smoking, kind of like in the west in the 50s, but without the advertising. A friend of mine flew at a guy who lit up in the hospital room that his new-born daughter was lying in an incubator in. The guy was dumbfounded and leapt out of a window onto the window sill. Me, i'm a smoker myself - smoking in the library or a doctor's office during a rectal examination was half the reason for coming here in the first place.
An honest, GENUINE question to all the Americans here.
Why don't you use the word 'toilet'? I've never heard that word used by an American (and I have American relatives), yet it is absolutely the normal word in British English.
Genuine question, I am curious is all.
Xpat.John:
Because, unlike most folks in the UK, our toilets are in the same room as the bathtub. Same difference between a cookie and a biscuit, I suppose. :)
diverdude1:
yeah, that word bothers me too. I always say, bathroom, or restroom. I try to tell my Chinese friends not to use the word toilet,, lol.. In American English it's just not a genteel word.
for us, the toilet is that thing u sit on.
Philippines have it pretty good though. CR. Comfort Room.
I also think 'the Loo' is pretty good term.
For the same reason most public/office restrooms I have seen normally have large puddles of piss around the urinals. Thinking of how personal habits affect others is not in the nature of many Chinese people.
'Cause people can go into them. Many Chinese folks will smoke anytime, anyplace, anywhere. No why. Just because.
They don't have enough ashtrays in the office?!!!!!!...............right?!!!!
