Legal Requirements for Clean Air: How Smoke Eaters Help You Comply - Part 6 addresses a critical question: Why are smoke eaters not just helpful but sometimes mandatory? Most regions have guidelines or laws that compel business owners to limit harmful airborne contaminants. Let’s explore the main bodies—OSHA, NIOSH, and local authorities—and how a properly sized smoke eater helps you stay on the right side of the law.
OSHA’s Role
- Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
- OSHA enforces limits on specific chemicals found in smoke, like carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.
- Workplaces with smoke, whether from cigarettes or industrial processes, must ensure these substances don’t exceed permissible levels.
- General Duty Clause
- Employers have an obligation to keep the work environment free from recognized hazards, which can include secondhand smoke or fumes.
- Smoke eaters are a viable method to reduce hazardous smoke and meet this duty.
Local/State Regulations
- Smoke-Free Workplace Laws
- Many jurisdictions ban or heavily restrict indoor smoking. If smoking is still allowed, special ventilation or air cleaning may be required.
- Some local codes specifically mention filtration requirements, like minimum air changes per hour or separate enclosed areas for smokers.
- Industry Guidelines
- ASHRAE suggests ventilation and air exchange rates to control contaminants. For example, a target of about 8–10 air changes per hour in a smoking area is common.
- Properly sized smoke eaters make reaching those air exchange rates feasible.
Sizing Your Smoke Eater for Compliance
- Determine the volume of your space in cubic feet, multiply by desired air changes per hour (ACH), and match that to a CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating.
- Example: If your lounge is 3,000 cubic feet and you want 8 ACH, you need to clean 24,000 cubic feet per hour (3,000 × 8). Dividing by 60 minutes yields 400 CFM. So, look for a smoke eater (or multiple units) that collectively can handle at least 400 CFM.
Real-World Implications
- Businesses using smoke eaters can substantially lower the concentration of harmful particles and gases, helping them pass air quality inspections.
- Restaurants, bars, and industrial workplaces with robust smoke filtration are less likely to face complaints or enforcement actions.
Smoke eaters aren’t just about comfort—they’re often integral to meeting mandatory regulations. Next, in the final post (Part 7), we’ll cover maintenance and best practices to ensure your smoke eater keeps operating at peak efficiency for years.
