The particular advice I was on about wasn't about breathing in the fumes, but about washing the hands.
...and big explosions... Having been trained & qualified for road ADR/Hazchem, Packages and Tankers, some years ago, I'm well aware of the particular dangers of smoking - even carrying a lighter in the cab was not allowed at many places (smoking is now banned in all trucks anyway, now)
Had one instance years ago, unloading at a factory (not the one below!), when a forklift dropped a 200lt drum of industrial alcohol and punctured it. As the liquid merrily flooded the concrete another driver came wandering across, fag in mouth. I quickly asked him to put it out, but couldn't believe it when he did so by dropping it on the floor and treading on it!!
How we didn't all do dog impressions (i.e. all go "WHOOF") I'll never know...... (he'd dropped it beyond the pool of alcohol, but as we all know, it's the vapour that ignites....)
In fact, the place I was working out of at that time, went BANG rather more recently....