Workplace smoking laws apply to all indoor workplaces.
Smoking is prohibited in all indoor workplaces. Smoking is permitted in outdoor areas, if employer permits. However, the employer is free to make the entire workspace smoke-free.
In Pennsylvania, smoking areas must have a "smoking permitted" sign.
No state law addresses this specifically, although local laws might impose a minimum distance.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends a distance of 20 feet, although this is not required by law. The Department of Health also recommends that the designated smoking area should not be located near building entrances, windows or openings, and should have containers for ash and cigarette disposal.
Pennsylvania doesn't specifically require employers to provide workplace accommodations for nonsmoker employees.
Pennsylvania laws don't address employer policies on smoking in the workplace. Local laws regulating smoking -- at the city, county, or town level -- may require employers to have a policy on smoking in some areas. And even though it's not required by law in Pennsylvania, employers are generally free to adopt policies on smoking in the workplace if they choose to.
An employer may not discharge an employee, refuse to hire an applicant for employment, or retaliate against an employee because the individual exercises a right to a smoke-free environment.
No, although Philadelphia and Alleghany County have ordinances that ban vaping and the use of e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited. In addition, employers are free to implement their own policies banning vaping and e-cigarettes.
If you want to go right to the source and look up Pennsylvania law on workplace smoking laws -- or if you're writing a letter to your employer or employee and want to cite the applicable law -- the relevant statute(s) can be found at 35 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. Sections 637.2 to 637.11.
Workplace smoking information is also available in Nolo's books Your Rights in the Workplace, by Barbara Repa (Nolo) and The Employer's Legal Handbook, by Aaron Hotfelder (Nolo).