Public Health England has published advice for businesses and employers to help them create their own policies on e-cigarette use.

There are now 2.8 million e-cigarette users in the UK and there is a need for appropriate policies in public places and workplaces, says PHE. Its new framework will help organisations create e-cigarette policies that will support smokers to quit and stay smoke-free, while managing any risks specific to their setting.

The framework sets out five principles based on current knowledge of e-cigarettes:

• Make clear the distinction between vaping and smoking
• Ensure policies are informed by the evidence on health risks to bystanders
• Identify and manage risks of uptake by children and young people
• Support smokers to stop smoking and stay smoke-free
• Support compliance with smoke-free law and policies.

Professor Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at PHE said: “The evidence is clear that vaping is much less harmful than smoking and that e-cigarettes are helping many smokers to quit. This new framework will encourage organisations to consider both the benefits and the risks when developing their own policies on e-cigarettes.”

The full guidance can be accessed here.