Automotive Shop / WORK AREA SAFETY

The floor of your work area and bench tops should be kept clean, dry, and orderly. Any oil, coolant, or grease on the floor can make it slippery. Slips can result in serious injuries. To clean up oil, use commercial oil absorbent. Also, keep all water off the floor. Water is slippery on smooth floors, and electricity flows well through water. Aisles and walkways should be kept clean and wide enough to easily move through. Make sure the work areas around machines are large enough to safely operate the machine.

Make sure all drain covers are snugly in place.

Open drains or covers that are not flush to the floor can cause toe, ankle, and leg injuries.

+++Most high-voltage components in a hybrid vehicle have "High Voltage" caution labels.

Keep an up-to-date list of emergency telephone numbers clearly posted next to the telephone. These numbers should include a doctor, hospital, and fire and police departments. Also, the work area should have a first-aid kit for treating minor injuries and eye flushing kits readily available. You should know where these items are kept.

Fire Hazards and Prevention:

Gasoline is a highly flammable volatile liquid. Some thing that is flammable catches fire and burns easily.

A volatile liquid is one that vaporizes very quickly.

Flammable volatile liquids are potential fire bombs.

Always keep gasoline, ethanol, or diesel fuel in an approved safety can, and never use gasoline to clean your hands or tools.

The presence of gasoline is so common that its dangers are often forgotten. A slight spark or an increase in heat can cause a fire or explosion. Gasoline fumes are heavier than air. Therefore, when an open container of gasoline is sitting about, the fumes spill out over the sides of the container. These fumes are more flammable than liquid gasoline and can easily explode.

CAUTION! Never siphon gasoline or diesel fuel with your mouth. These liquids are poisonous and can make you sick or fatally ill.

Never smoke around gasoline or in a shop filled with gasoline fumes. If the vehicle has a gasoline leak or you have caused a leak by disconnecting a fuel line, wipe it up immediately and stop the leak.

Make sure that any grinding or welding that may be taking place in the area is stopped until the spill is totally cleaned up and the floor has been flushed with water. The rags used to wipe up the gasoline should be taken outside to dry, then stored in an approved dirty rag container. If vapors are present in the shop, have the doors open and turn on the ventilating system. It takes only a small amount of fuel mixed with air to cause combustion.

Ethanol --Most commonly found as E85 (15% gasoline mixed with 85% ethanol), ethanol is a very volatile liquid. Ethanol is a non-petroleum-based fuel and is used as an alternative fuel to gasoline. Ethanol is also used as an additive to increase the octane rating of gasoline.

Handle and store E85 in the same way as gasoline.

Diesel Fuel--Diesel fuel is not as volatile as gasoline but should be stored and handled in the same way.

It’s also not as refined as gasoline and tends to be a very dirty fuel. It normally contains many impurities, including active microscopic organisms that can be highly infectious. If diesel fuel happens to get on an open cut or sore, thoroughly wash it immediately.

Solvents --Cleaning solvents are also not as volatile as gasoline, but they are still flammable.

These should be stored and treated in the same way as gasoline. Handle all solvents (or any liquids) with care to avoid spillage. Keep all solvent containers closed, except when pouring. Proper ventilation is very important in areas where volatile solvents and chemicals are used. Solvent and other combustible materials must be stored in approved and designated storage cabinets or rooms. Storage rooms should have adequate ventilation.

Discard or clean all empty solvent containers. Solvent fumes in the bottom of these containers are very flammable. Never light matches or smoke near flammable solvents and chemicals, including battery acids.

Rags--Oily or greasy rags can also be a source for fires.

These rags should be stored in an approved container and never thrown out with normal trash. When these oily, greasy, or paint-soaked rags are left lying about or are not stored properly, they can cause spontaneous combustion. Spontaneous combustion results in a fire that starts by itself, that is, without a match.

+++Flammable liquids should stored in safety-approved containers.

+++Store combustible materials in approved safety cabinets.

+++Dirty rags and towels should be kept in an approved container. the DuPont Company +++21 Know the location and types of fire extinguishers that are available in the shop.

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GUIDE TO EXTINGUISHER SELECTION

Class of Fire | Typical

Fuel Involved--Type of Extinguisher A-A Class Fires (green); For Ordinary Combustibles; Put out a class A fire by lowering its temperature or by coating the burning combustibles.

Wood Paper Cloth Rubber Plastics Rubbish Upholstery Water

1 Foam, Multipurpose dry chemical 4 Class Fires (red) B For Flammable Liquids Put out a class B fire by smothering it. Use an extinguisher that gives a blanketing, flame-interrupting effect; cover whole flaming liquid surface.

Gasoline Oil Grease Paint Lighter fluid Foam Carbon dioxide

5 Halogenated agent, 6 Standard dry chemical

2 Purple K dry chemical

3 Multipurpose dry chemical 4 (blue) C Class Fires For Electrical Equipment Put out a class C fire by shutting off power as quickly as possible and by always using a nonconducting extinguishing agent to prevent electric shock.

Motors Appliances Wiring Fuse boxes Switchboards Carbon dioxide5 Halogenated agent 6 Standard dry chemical 2 Purple K dry chemical 3 Multipurpose dry chemical 4 D Class Fires (yellow) For Combustible Metals Put out a class D fire of metal chips, turnings, or shavings by smothering or coating with a specially designed extinguishing agent.

Aluminum Magnesium Potassium Sodium Titanium Zirconium Dry powder extinguishers and agents only

Cartridge-operated water, foam, and soda-acid types of extinguishers are no longer manufactured. These extinguishers should be removed from service when they become due for their next hydrostatic pressure test.

Notes:

(1) Freezes in low temperatures unless treated with antifreeze solution, usually weighs more than 20 pounds (9 kg), and is heavier than any other extinguisher mentioned.

(2) Also called ordinary or regular dry chemical (sodium bicarbonate).

(3) Has the greatest initial fire-stopping power of the extinguishers mentioned for class B fires. Be sure to clean residue immediately after using the extinguisher so sprayed surfaces won’t be damaged (potassium bicarbonate).

(4) The only extinguishers that fight A, B, and C classes of fires. However, they should not be used on fires in liquefied fat or oil of appreciable depth. Be sure to clean residue immediately after using the extinguisher so sprayed surfaces won’t be damaged (ammonium phosphates).

(5) Use with caution in unventilated, confined spaces.

(6) May cause injury to the operator if the extinguishing agent (a gas) or the gases produced when the agent is applied to a fire is inhaled.

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Fire Extinguishers

You should know the location of all fire extinguishers and fire alarms in the shop and you should also know how to use them before you need one. You should also be aware of the different types of fires and fire extinguishers. All extinguishers are marked with a symbol or letter signifying the class of fire for which they are intended. Using the wrong type of extinguisher may cause the fire to grow instead of being put out.

If a fire extinguisher is not handy, a blanket or fender cover may be used to smother the flames. Be careful when doing this because the heat of the fire may burn you and the blanket. If the fire is too great to smother, move everyone away from the fire and call the local fire department. A simple under-the-hood fire can cause the total destruction of the car and the building and can take some lives. You must be able to respond quickly and precisely to avoid a disaster.

Using a Fire Extinguisher

Remember, never open doors or windows during a fire unless it’s absolutely necessary; the extra draft will only make the fire worse.

Make sure the fire department is contacted before or during your attempt to extinguish a fire. To extinguish a fire, stand 6 to 10 feet from the fire. Before releasing the agent from the extinguisher, hold the extinguisher firmly in an upright position. Aim the nozzle at the base and use a side-to-side motion, sweeping the entire width of the fire. Stay low to avoid inhaling the smoke. If it gets too hot or too smoky, get out. Remember, never go back into a burning building for anything. To help remember how to use an extinguisher, remember the word "PASS." Pull the pin from the handle of the extinguisher.

Aim the extinguisher's nozzle at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle. Sweep the entire width of the fire with the contents of the extinguisher.

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