Fire Prevention Options – Smokers In The Workplace

Fire safety is an overriding concern at many work sites.  This is particularly true in segments of industry which routinely handle flammable materials, be they petroleum-based liquids, solvents or fuels, combustible dust or even lumber and paper storage facilities which constantly battle the drying effect of heat buildup.

Popular perception of industrial fires often sees them as being started as the result of a spectacular accident, one in which an equipment failure or vehicle collision introduces chaos and destruction and an inevitable explosion.  Despite this sensationalist viewpoint – and the fact that yes, on occasion these types of fire-producing incidents do occur – risk mangers are aware that more often than not, damaging and potentially lethal fires have very mundane beginnings.

One fire vector that is often overlooked are cigarettes.  Although a smaller percentage of the general population smokes now when compared to even a decade before, it only takes one errant butt in the wrong place at the wrong time to set a job site ablaze.  Fire control strategies need to take into account the habits of smokers and provide them with safe options for disposing of their cigarettes.

It is never a good idea to mix open trash cans with the sparks that are produced by a lit cigarette, nor should cigarettes be exposed to air currents that could blow sparks throughout a facility.  Enclosed ashtrays and cigarette receptacles provide protected and inflammable storage spots for these fire hazards.  Options from Justrite and Elite Cease Fire are fabricated out of galvanized steel, and are designed with a narrow entrance aperture at the top to prevent other types of potentially flammable trash from being introduced.  They also restrict the amount of oxygen that can enter the receptacle itself, which further limits the chance of a cigarette remaining lit long enough to cause a fire.  These units are small enough to be placed at the entrances and exits of facilities where smokers tend to congregate, but they are also large enough that they will not require constant emptying, providing no extra burden to sanitation staff.  They are also heavy at the base in order to resist tipping from accidental contact or outdoor winds.

As part of a comprehensive fire prevention strategy, fire extinguishers should be mounted at any point where there exists a potential for a conflagration.  While enclosed cigarette receptacles are generally very safe, the potential still exists for a wayward butt to land outside the ashtray.  Depending upon the type of fire risk present at a work site, an A, B or C fire extinguisher, available from Ansul, Kidde or Badger should be mounted in an easy to reach location near the cigarette disposal point.  Keeping inexpensive portable fire extinguishers near entrances and other areas like smoking rooms is far safer than forcing workers to run into a facility in search of a fire suppressor in the event of accidental ignition.