Working Safely in the Auto Shop

Learning Goals:

• Understand the importance of safety and accident prevention in an automotive shop.
• Explain the basic principles of personal safety, including protective eye wear, clothing, gloves, shoes, and hearing protection.
• Explain the procedures and precautions for safely using tools and equipment.
• Explain the precautions that need to be followed to safely raise a vehicle on a lift.
• Explain what should be done to maintain a safe working area in a shop.
• Describe the unique safety considerations that must be adhered to when working on hybrid vehicles.
• Describe the purpose of the laws concerning hazardous wastes and materials, including the Right-To-Know laws.
• Describe your rights, as an employee and/or student, to have a safe place to work.

Working on automobiles can be dangerous. It can also be fun and very rewarding. To keep the fun and rewards rolling in, you need to try to pre vent accidents by working safely. In an automotive repair shop, there is great potential for serious accidents, simply because of the nature of the business and the equipment used. When there is carelessness, the automotive repair industry can be one of the most dangerous occupations.

However, the chances of you being injured while working on a car are close to nil if you learn to work safely and use common sense. Shop safety is the responsibility of everyone in the shop-you, your fellow students or employees, and your employer or instructor. Everyone must work together to protect the health and welfare of all who work in the shop.

Unless you want to get hurt or want your fellow students or employees to get hurt, you should strive to work safely. Shop accidents can cause serious injury, temporary or permanent disability, and death.

This section covers many guidelines concerning personal, work area, tool and equipment, and hazardous material safety. In addition to this section, special warnings are given throughout this guide to alert you to situations where carelessness could result in personal injury. When working on cars, always follow the safety guidelines given in service manuals and other technical literature. They are there for your protection.

PERSONAL SAFETY

To protect yourself from injuries, you must take pre cautions. This includes wearing protective gear, dressing appropriately, working professionally, and correctly handling tools and equipment.

Eye Protection:

Your eyes can become infected or permanently dam aged by many things in a shop. Consider the following:

• Dirt and sharp bits of rust can easily fall into your eyes while you are working under a vehicle.
• Some procedures, such as grinding, release tiny particles of metal and dust, which are thrown off at very high speeds. These particles can easily get into your eyes, scratching or cutting them.
• Pressurized gases and liquids escaping a ruptured hose or loose hose fitting can spray into your eyes and cause blindness.

To be safe, you should wear suitable eye protection whenever you are working in the shop. In most shops, this is not an option- you must wear eye protection. There are many types of eye protection available.

Safety glasses have lenses made of safety glass.

They also offer some sort of side protection. To help develop the habit of wearing safety glasses, make sure the glasses fit well and feel comfortable.

Regular prescription glasses don’t offer sufficient protection and, therefore, should not be worn as a substitute for safety glasses. Prescription glasses can be made with polycarbonate lenses and can be worn as safety glass if they are rated ANSI Z87 and have side shields fixed to the frame.

Some procedures may require that you wear additional eye protection. For example, when you are working around air conditioning systems, you should wear splash goggles and, when cleaning parts with a pressurized spray, you should wear a face shield. The face shield will also protect the rest of your face.

Eye First Aid--If chemicals such as battery acid, fuel, or solvents get into your eyes, flush them continuously with clean water. Have someone call a doctor and get medical help immediately.

Many shops have eye wash stations or safety showers that should be used whenever you or someone else has been sprayed or splashed with a chemical.

+++ Various types of eye protection: safety (splash) goggles, face shield, and safety glasses.

+++ A combination eye wash and safety shower. made by DuPont Performance. Coatings

Clothing: Clothing that hangs out freely, such as shirttails, can create a safety hazard and cause serious injury. Nothing you wear should be allowed to dangle in the engine compartment or around equipment. Shirts should be tucked in and buttoned and long sleeves buttoned or carefully rolled up. Your clothing should be well fitted and comfortable but made with strong material. Some technicians prefer to wear coveralls or shop coats to protect their personal clothing. Your work clothes should offer you some protection but should not restrict your movement.

Keep your clothing clean. If you spill gasoline or oil on yourself, change that item of clothing immediately. Oil against your skin for a prolonged period can produce rashes or other allergic reactions. Gasoline can irritate cuts and sores.

Hair and Jewelry: Long hair and loose, hanging jewelry can create the same type of hazard as loose-fitting clothing. They can get caught in moving engine parts and machinery. If you have long hair, tie it back or tuck it under a cap.

Rings, necklaces, bracelets, and watches should not be worn while working. A ring can rip your finger off, a watch or bracelet can cut your wrist, and a neck lace can choke you. This is especially true when working with or around electrical wires. The metals in most jewelry conduct electricity very well and can easily cause a short, through you, if it touches a bare wire.

Shoes: You should also protect your feet. Tennis and jogging shoes provide little protection if something falls on your foot. Boots or shoes made of leather or a material that approaches the strength of leather, offer much better protection from falling objects. There are many designs of safety shoes and boots that also have steel plates built into the toe and shank to protect your feet. Many also have soles that are designed to resist slipping on wet surfaces. Foot injuries are not only quite painful but can also put you out of work for some time.

Gloves: Good hand protection is often overlooked. A scrape, cut, or burn can seriously impair your ability to work for many days. A well-fitted pair of heavy work gloves should be worn while grinding, welding, or when handling chemicals or high-temperature components. Polyurethane or vinyl gloves should be worn when handling strong and dangerous caustic chemicals. These chemicals can easily burn your skin.

Many technicians wear thin, surgical-type latex or Nitrile gloves whenever they are working on vehicles. These offer little protection against cuts but do offer protection against disease and grease buildup under and around your fingernails. Latex gloves are more comfortable but weaken when they are exposed to gas, oil, and solvents. Nitrile gloves are not as comfortable but they are not affected by gas, oil, and solvents. Your choice of hand protection should be based on what you are doing.

Disease Prevention: When you are ill with something that may be contagious, see a doctor and don’t go to work or school until the doctor says there is little chance of someone else contracting the illness from you. Doing this will protect others, and if others do this you will be protected.

You should also be concerned with and protect yourself and others from bloodborne pathogens.

Bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, staph infections caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For everyone's protection, any injury that causes bleeding should be dealt with as a threat to others. You should avoid con tact with the blood of another. If you need to administer some form of first aid, make sure you wear hand protection before you do so. You should also wear gloves and other protection when handling the item that caused the cut. This item should be sterilized immediately. Most importantly, like all injuries, report the accident to your instructor or supervisor.

+++ Polyurethane or vinyl gloves should be worn when handling strong and dangerous caustic chemicals.

+++ Many technicians wear thin, surgical-type latex or nitrile gloves whenever they are working on vehicles.

Ear Protection: Exposure to very loud noise levels for extended periods can lead to hearing loss. Air wrenches, engines running under a load, and vehicles running in enclosed areas can all generate harmful levels of noise. Simple earplugs or earphone-type protectors should be worn in environments that are constantly noisy.

Respiratory Protection: Technicians often work with chemicals that have toxic fumes. Air or respiratory masks should be worn when ever you will be exposed to toxic fumes. Cleaning parts with solvents and painting are the most common times when respiratory masks should be worn.

Masks should also be worn when handling parts that contain asbestos or when handling hazardous materials. The proper handling of these materials is covered in great detail later in this section.

Lifting and Carrying:

At least once a week a technician will need to move something that is heavy. Knowing how to lift these heavy things can save your career. When lifting any object, follow these steps:

1. Place your feet close to the object. Position your feet so you will be able to maintain a good balance.

2. Keep your back and elbows as straight as possible. Bend your knees until your hands reach the best place to get a strong grip on the object.

3. If the part is in a cardboard box, make sure the box is in good condition. Old, damp, or poorly sealed boxes will tear and the part will fall out.

4. Firmly grasp the object or container. Never try to change your grip as you move the load.

5. Keep the object close to your body, and lift it up by straightening your legs. Use your leg muscles, not your back muscles.

6. If you must change your direction of travel, never twist your body. Turn your whole body, including your feet.

7. When placing the object on a shelf or counter, don’t bend forward. Place the edge of the load on the shelf and slide it forward. Be careful not to pinch your fingers.

8. When setting down a load, bend your knees and keep your back straight. Never bend forward. This strains the back muscles.

9. When lowering something heavy to the floor, set the object on blocks of wood to protect your fingers.

You should also use back-protection devices when you lift heavy objects. Always lift and work within your ability and ask others (or use a hoist) to help when you are not sure whether you can handle the size or weight of an object. Even small, compact parts can be surprisingly heavy or unbalanced. Think about how you are going to lift something before beginning.

CAUTION! Trying to "muscle" something with your arms or back can result in severe damage to your back and may end your career and limit what you do the rest of your life!

+++ While working in a noisy environment, your ears can be protected with earmuffs or earplugs. Position body over load; Keep back as erect as possible Use leg muscles Keep weight close to body Straight back Legs bent

+++ Use your leg muscles-never your back-to lift heavy objects.

Professional Behavior:

Accidents can be prevented simply by the way you behave. The following list does not include everything you should or should not do; it merely gives some things to think about:

• Never smoke while working on a vehicle or while working with any machine in the shop.
• Playing around or "horseplay" is not fun when it sends someone to the hospital.
• To prevent serious burns, keep your skin away from hot metal parts such as the radiator, exhaust manifold, tailpipe, catalytic converter, and muffler.
• Always disconnect electric engine cooling fans when working around the radiator. Many of these will turn on without warning and can easily chop off a finger or hand. Make sure you reconnect the fan after you have completed your repairs.
• When working with a hydraulic press, make sure the pressure is applied in a safe manner. It’s generally wise to stand to the side when operating the press.
• Properly store all parts and tools by putting them away in a place where people won’t trip over them. This practice not only cuts down on injuries, it also reduces time wasted looking for a mis placed part or tool.
• Keep your work area clean and uncluttered. Make sure you clean up all spills before continuing to work.

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