Smoking & Vaping on Jobsites
A lit cigarette or a vape near fuel, solvents or propane can start a fire. Smoking with dirty hands can also put lead, silica and other jobsite dust straight into your mouth. Most sites allow smoking only in designated areas, and those rules exist for good reasons.
- Construction
- General Industry
Fire risks
- No smoking or vaping near fueling, flammable liquid storage, propane cylinders, spray painting, hot work areas or anywhere signs say “No Smoking or Open Flames.” OSHA requires those signs where smoking is a fire hazard.
- Never smoke in confined spaces, oxygen-enriched areas or near oxygen cylinders. See Oxygen Hazards.
- Careless disposal is a common cause of fires in dumpsters, mulch, dry grass and buildings under construction.
See Flammable Liquids, Propane and Fire Prevention.
Designated smoking areas
- Use only the designated area, placed away from fuel, flammables, building openings and air intakes.
- Put butts in a metal can with sand or water, never on the ground, in trash cans, in mulch or in a dumpster.
- Make sure butts are fully out before leaving.
- On red flag or high fire danger days, follow any extra restrictions.
Vapes and e-cigarettes
- Vapes are an ignition source like any other. Follow the same no-smoking zones.
- Their lithium batteries can overheat and catch fire, especially if damaged or carried loose in a pocket with keys or coins. Use the right charger and replace damaged devices. See Lithium Battery Fires.
- Many sites ban vapes in hazardous (classified) locations along with phones and other non-rated electronics.
Hand-to-mouth exposure
If your hands are covered in lead, silica, asbestos, chemicals or other dust, a smoke break can put it right into your body. Wash your hands and face before smoking, eating or drinking. Don’t keep cigarettes or vapes in work clothes pockets where they collect dust. See Take-Home Contamination.
Smoking makes some hazards worse
- Smokers exposed to asbestos have a much higher lung cancer risk than people with either exposure alone. See Asbestos.
- Smoking adds to the lung damage from silica, welding fume and diesel exhaust.
- Smoking raises carbon monoxide in your blood, which adds to CO from equipment.
- Smoking and vaping make it harder for your body to handle heat and hard work.
Help quitting
Free help is available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), which connects you to your state’s quitline, and at smokefree.gov. Many health plans cover quit medications at no cost.
Smoke break checklist
- In the designated smoking area only
- Away from fuel, propane, flammables and hot work
- Hands and face washed first
- Butts out and in the metal can
- Vape battery undamaged and not loose in a pocket
Standards & references
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