Smoking e-cigarettes may be a safer and healthier option to traditional tobacco cigarettes, but it could be almost as dangerous in terms of it being a fire hazard. Smoking an e-cigarette is more accurately described as ‘vaping’. It is claimed that ‘vaping’ is safer than smoking because of the absence of tobacco and smoke. In a market worth £90 million, there are approximately 1.3 million users of E-Cigarettes in the UK, a figure which is expected to rise rapidly.

There is already a fierce debate about the potential for damaging the health of the ‘vapers’ and those impacted by passive smoking, but that is not the focus of this article. E-Cigarettes are a relatively new product and their risks, including their fire risks, are not yet fully understood. Despite the fact that you do not light an E-Cigarette, there are still fire risks associated with this product.

E-Cigarettes are usually made up of: a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an atomiser and a replaceable or refillable cartridge containing liquid nicotine, flavours and other chemicals. The battery heats up a coil attached to a wick, which heats liquid containing nicotine, creating vapour which is then inhaled.

One of the fire risks is the potential to overheat, catch fire and even explode whilst charging. These fires have resulted in a number of injuries, including first and second degree burns and one incident tragically resulted in the death of an elderly lady. Figures published by the BBC show that e-cigarettes are believed to be the cause of just over 100 fires in less than two years. It is thought the true number of fires caused is understated as cases go unreported, or the source of the fire is not discovered.

Experts are mainly concerned about the chargers used to power the devices. Many of the batteries in these devices do not have over-current protection, found in mobile phones, meaning the E-Cigarette will continue to charge, even when fully charged. And they have been shown to heat up to dangerous temperatures if used with the wrong ‘vaping’ kit.

Currently, there is no regulation of the fire-risks associated with E-Cigarettes, nor are there any plans to introduce such laws. As it stands, the fire safety of E-Cigarettes remains uncertain. It has led to fire chiefs issuing a warning; the chairman of the Local Government Authority’s (LGA’s) Fire Services Management Committee has said “We are warning users that it is simply not worth risking their lives to save a few pounds by buying dodgy, dangerous or incompatible chargers.” The LGA are also “urging e-cigarette manufacturers to introduce clear, prominent and graphic new warnings spelling out to users the dangers of using incompatible chargers with e-cigarette batteries.”

Safety Tips

The fire service provides a number of tips for e-cigarette users:

1. Only use the charger supplied with your e-cigarette kit
2. Do not ‘mix and match’ components between kits
3. Do not over tighten the battery on to the charger
4. Clean the battery’s ‘centre pin’ and charger contact at least once a week
5. Avoid leaving E-Cigarettes on charge overnight or for long periods of time whilst unattended
6. Once fully charged, removed the battery from the charger

Action Points

So what might this mean for employers? Until recently the big issue was whether vapers should be made to share the same smoking areas as smokers and the accepted wisdom is that they ought to be provided with a separate area. This new evidence should prompt employers to take further action:

Undertake a risk assessment particularly if you have employees or residents living on the premises, or, re-visit your fire risk assessment and include e-cigarettes as a potential fire hazard.

  • Warn employees about these risks, assuming that you allow employees to charge their e-cigarettes at work.
  • Talk to your Insurance Company.
  • Consult with employees about this safety issue and take appropriate action.
  • Review your smoking and e-cigarette policy regarding any permitted use of e-cigarettes.

Our Consultants would be pleased to advise you on any element of the issues arising from this newsletter.