3 min read
The Cigarette and the Mechanic: Blue-Collar Nicotine and the Decline of Smoke-Friendly Workplaces
Auto mechanics have historically smoked at high rates—the garage was a smoke-friendly environment. Workplace bans have reduced smoking, but the culture of the trade persists. The mechanic's cigarette is a story of occupational change.
The auto shop used to be a haze of cigarette smoke—mechanics smoking over open engines, ashtrays on workbenches. Workplace bans have eliminated most of the smoke—but not all of the smoking. **The mechanic steps outside to smoke now—but still smokes, at rates higher than the general population. The cigarette is a break, a stress reliever, a social connector in a male-dominated trade. The workplace has changed. The culture hasn't caught up.**
