Magazine for the auto service professional
Issue link: http://asp.epubxp.com/i/684411
6 | ASP June 2016 Straight talk toe protection. Te boots or shoes should also provide good arch support to with- stand long days on your feet. Poor support can easily translate into not only foot pain, but leg, knee and lower back issues as well. Preferably, shoes should be made of leather. Shoes that feature cloth uppers can allow fuids, such as fammable materials, to soak into the shoe. • Fire extinguishers are sometimes viewed as necessary evils and as a result are ignored. Do this at your own peril. For those of you in communities where the fre department regularly inspects your extinguishers, you're probably covered. For the rest of you, it would make sense to have the local fre inspector come out and go through the shop with you. Not only will you know what type of fre extinguishers to have, but the inspec- tor will also point out any other potential hazards you may not know even exist. And before any of you write to me and talk about a "nanny state," stop and think about how you would feel if your facility would burn and someone would be injured — or worse. • Keep a supply of frst aid materials in a location that's accessible to everyone in the shop, and make sure everyone knows where they're stored. • Consider installing a panic button that activates a horn or siren, in a location that's easily accessible. In an emergency, sounding that alarm will alert everyone that someone is in trouble. • Make a point to have your vehicle lifts inspected at least once per year, or more often if the lift manufacturer recommends it. Just because a lift worked fne yesterday doesn't mean that it will work today or tomorrow. It's obvious that a failed lift can easily result in both serious vehicle damage as well as fatal injury to anyone under or near the lift. Schedule a regular visit for a certifed lift service technician to inspect and service every lift in the shop. • What you can't see can hurt you. Te shop area should be well lit to eliminate any dark areas. Don't wait to replace burned out ceiling light bulbs. If your budget allows, consider switching to the new generation of LED lighting that both reduces electrical consumption and pro- vides brighter illumination. Some energy companies ofer incentives for going to more efcient lighting. • Keep the foor clean. Te shop foor should be cleaned at the end of every day to remove dirt, rust scale, road salt and debris that falls of of customer vehicles and to remove any spilled fuids that pose a danger in terms of slipping and falling. • We all use sharp cutting instru- ments such as knives, box cutters or razor blades to open a box, trim a piece of weather-strip, etc. Rather than randomly tossing cutters in your tool chest, it's a good idea to dedicate one spot (drawer or box) to store all things with sharp edges (especially razor blades). If razors are haphazardly stored in a drawer along with screwdrivers, pliers, etc., it's too easy to accidentally slice your fngers when reaching in to retrieve another tool. • Consider having everyone in the shop trained in CPR. Training is commonly available, usually free of charge, at many local fre stations. Seriously consider taking advantage of this. In the case of an emergency, it's better to be able to act quickly rather than standing idly by, waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Seconds can mean the diference between life and death. Tis may sound like your mom reminding you to wear a jacket in cold weather, but paying attention to safety issues in the shop can avoid injuries and can make your work day a bit more pleasant in the process. ■