CIGARETTE SMOKING AND FIRE PREVENTION
We know that many people die each 2. Employees should properly dispose of
year due to the hazardous health
effects from smoking cigarettes or
from inhaling second-hand cigarette
435 smoke over a period of time.
However, we should also be aware
that numerous people die each year
from burns and/or smoke inhalation
from fires started by cigarettes. As a
matter of fact, the NFPA (National
This program is designed to
Fire Protection Association) lists
promote the proper handling
cigarettes as the leading cause of
and disposal of smoking
materials in the effort to
fatal fires in the United States – a
reduce the potential for statistic sadly true for many other
co u n trie s a r ou n d the globe .
accidental fires.
Unfortunately, these fire deaths
include a large number of children
Target Audience and innocent bystanders who had
10 MINUTE SAFETY TRAINER
 All Staff little control over the smoker’s
handling and disposal of their
smoking materials.
Though we may have little influence
Training Tip: on whether or not people choose to
Ask the group to smoke, we CAN influence how we, our
identify areas of fellow employees, guests, and visitors
the hotel where safely use, handle and dispose of
employees, guests, cigarettes at the hotel.
and/or visitors
may be improperly
disposing of their 1. Outside smoking should be
cigarettes. After a restricted to designated areas for
list has been both employees and guests. These
generated, ask designated areas should be
employees what located away from the hotel, and
can be done to a clearly visible cigarette
reduce the fire receptacle should be placed in
potential (i.e. those areas to prevent people from
addition of throwing cigarettes on the ground.
ashtrays, no If you see an employee or guest
smoking signage, smoking in a non-designated area,
training, etc.). kindly inform or remind the smoker
of the location of designated
smoking areas.
Questions, Comments & Suggestions
Contact Risk Management Training at
risktraining@ihg.com
Rev. Feb 2012
cigarettes in designated receptacles,
and they should encourage guests to
do the same. One carelessly tossed
away cigarette can cause a
devastating fire. If you see an
employee or guest improperly
dispose of their cigarette, first
extinguish the cigarette and then
inform your supervisor of the behavior
so that hotel management can advise
the employee or guest of the hotel’s
smoking policy.
3. Cigarette receptacles should be
heavy, difficult to tip over and made
of a material that won’t burn.
4. When emptying ashtrays or cigarette
receptacles of any size, the contents
should be wetted to minimize the
chance of a fire. Dry cigarette butts
should never be dumped into general
refuse containers with combustible
materials (paper, plastic, wood, etc.).
5. Cigarettes should never be left
unattended without first being
extinguished. The manufacturers of
cigarettes have designed them to
keep burning when not being smoked.
Cigarettes can burn at temperatures
up to 1700°F and may smolder and
ignite other materials thirty minutes
later or longer. If you see a
smoldering cigarette, extinguish it
immediately.
6. Smokers should avoid lighting up
when they are drowsy, taking
prescription drugs, lying down or
have been drinking – it is to easy to
fall asleep with a burning cigarette.
Smoking is a personal choice; putting the
health and safety of other people at risk
by carelessly handling cigarettes IS
NOT.
 Quiz Cigarette Smoking and Fire Prevention

1. Lit cigarettes may be left unattended since 5. Innocent bystanders are never injured or killed
they are designed to extinguish themselves by fires started by cigarettes.
when not being “puffed.” a. True
a. True
b. False
b. False

6. What should be done if an employee

2. Cigarette smoking should be avoided when a witnesses someone carelessly disposing of lit
person is: cigarettes.
a. drowsy a. Smoking materials should be checked
and fully extinguished
b. taking prescription drugs
b. Supervisor/Hotel Management should be
c. lying in bed
notified so they can correct the situation
d. All of the above
c. Both (a) and (b)

3. Before emptying ashtrays or cigarette

7. Smoking is the leading single cause of fatal
receptacles, what should be done to make
fires.
sure the contents are fully extinguished.
a. Wave a hand over the top to feel for a. True
heat b. False
b. Wet the contents
c. Blow on the contents and look for any 8. Designated employee smoking areas should
“glowing” pieces be:
d. All of the above a. Anywhere in the hotel where there are
not any “No Smoking” signs

4. If an ashtray is not available, lit cigarettes b. In the employee break room as long as
may be placed in garbage cans as long as the most of the other employees smoke
cans are metal. c. Equipped with proper cigarette
receptacles and located on the exterior
a. True
of the hotel, away from the building
b. False

When you have completed this quiz, turn it in to your supervisor.

Name:

Date:

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Rev. Feb 2012

 Quiz Answers Cigarette Smoking and Fire Prevention

1. (b) False. Cigarettes have been designed to continuously burn, even when left unattended or
thrown in the grass. For example, as a cigarette left on the edge of an ashtray burns, it falls
“out of balance” on the ashtray edge and may fall out. This creates a fire hazard if the lit
cigarette encounters any combustible material.

2. (d) Smoking should be avoided anytime the possibility of falling asleep or “passing out” has
been increased. This may arise from fatigue, consumption of alcohol, prescription drugs, or
simply lying in bed.

3. (b) Wetting the contents of an ashtray or cigarette receptacle is the best way to ensure all of
the contents have been extinguished.

4. (b) False. Dry cigarette materials should never be disposed of in general refuse cans which
may contain combustible materials such as paper or plastic.

5. (b) False. Innocent bystanders, including children, often suffer injury or death due to these fatal
fires started from cigarettes.

6. (c) The employee should first extinguish the cigarette and then inform their supervisor of the
behavior so that corrective action can be taken - communication of hotel’s smoking policy,
addition of cigarette receptacles or signage to name a few.

7. (a) True. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) lists accidental fires from cigarettes as the
single leading cause of deaths from fire and/or smoke inhalation. Surprisingly, this statistic
doesn’t even include accidental fires from items related to cigarettes such as lighters and
matches.

8. (c) Designated employee smoking areas should be located in an area on the exterior of the
hotel with adequate cigarette receptacles.

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Rev. Feb 2012

Employee Sign-Off Cigarette Smoking and Fire Prevention

Date

Hotel

Training Facilitator

I agree to observe and follow the working practices described to me in this training. I understand that if I have
any further questions regarding this program or any safety issue, I should ask my supervisor.

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Rev. Feb 2012