A class action lawsuit filed in federal court claims Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino failed to provide a safe work environment for its employees and seeks to protect them from the effects of second-hand smoke.
It is well established that second-hand smoke is a health risk to non-smokers. The risks are exacerbated for employees at Wynn, where, the complaint alleges, smoking is not only permitted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but is also encouraged. The suit claims that cigarettes are sold, and in some cases given away, to gamblers on the casino floor. Some casinos in Las Vegas have taken steps to protect their employees from second-hand smoke. Wynn, however, has done nothing, the suit alleges. According to the complaint, Wynn forbids dealers in the gaming area to designate certain tables as "smoke-free" and prohibits them from requesting patrons to blow smoke away from the table or even to move their ashtrays.
The suit further claims employees that complain about the smoke risk losing their jobs.
A recent study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of three Las Vegas casinos found that employees are continually exposed to the same cancer causing chemicals that smokers inhale, and that these chemicals exist in the bloodstreams of employees working in the gaming area to a greater degree than other employees.
The suit is brought on behalf of all employees at Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino by Kanie Kastroll, a dealer at Wynn Las Vegas. The suit follows a similar complaint filed against Caesar's Palace in July. Both plaintiffs ask the court to require that the casinos take steps to protect their employees from second-hand smoke.
