"Think Safety First"

Think about these facts when you work on your car:

1. Vehicles, equipment, and many parts are very heavy; their weight can cause severe injuries.  
2. Many parts of a car become very hot and can cause severe burns. 
3. High fluid pressure can build up inside the cooling system, fuel system, or battery; these can spray dangerous fluids on you and especially into your eyes. 
4. Batteries contain highly corrosive and potentially explosive acids; these can cause bad skin burns or blindness. 
5. Fuels and commonly used cleaning solvents are flammable. 
6. Exhaust fumes are poisonous and can be deadly. 

-Personal Safety-

• Personal safety simply involves those precaution you take to protect yourself form injury. This includes wearing protective gear, dressing for safety, and correct handling of tools and equipment.
  
   

-Eye protection-

• To be safe, you should wear safety glasses whenever you are working on your car. To provide adequate eye protection, safety glasses have lenses made of safety glass. They also offer some sort of side protection. Regular prescription glasses do not offer sufficient protection and should not be worn as a substitute for safety glasses.

-Clothing-

• Your clothing should be well fitting and comfortable but made of a strong material. You might consider wearing coverall or a shop coat to protect your clothing. Your work clothes should offer you some protection but not restrict your movement.

-Hair and Jewelry-

• If you have long hair, tie it back or tuck it under a cap. Never wear rings, watches, bracelets, or neck chains. This can easily get caught in moving parts, and cause serious injury.

-Gloves-

• Good hand protection is often overlooked. Your choice of hand protection should be based on what you are doing. Check with you local parts store for a good pair of mechanics gloves.

-Hand Tool Safety-

• Careless use of simple hand tools such as wrenches, screwdriver, and hammers causes many accidents that could be prevented.
  
  Keep all hand tools grease-free and in good condition. Tools that slip can cause cut and bruises. If a tool slips and falls into a moving part, it can fly out and cause serious injury.
  
  Use the proper tool for the job. Make sure the tool is of professional quality. Using poorly made tools or the wrong tools can damage parts or the tool itself, or could cause injury. Never use broken of damaged tools.
  
  Be careful when using sharp or pointed tools. Do not put sharp tools or other sharp objects into you pockets. They can stab or cut your skin, ruin automotive upholstery, or scratch a painted surface. If a tool is supposed to be sharp, make sure it is sharp. Dull tools can be more dangerous than sharp tools. 

 

-Jack and Jack Stand Safety-

• The pad of a jack must be positioned under an area of the vehicle’s frame or at one of the manufacturer’s recommended lift points. Never place the pad under the floor pan or under steering and suspension components, they can be easily be damaged by the weight of the vehicle. Never use a jack to lift something hearer than is designed for. Always check the rating before using a jack. If a jack is rated for 2 tons, do not attempt to use it for a job that requires a 5 ton jack. It is dangerous for you and the vehicle.
  
  Safety stands, also called jack stands, are supports of various heights that sit on the floor. They are place under a sturdy chassis member, such as the frame or axle housing, to support the vehicle. They can be purchased at you local auto parts store or in the automotive department of many hardware stores. Be sure you purchase good quality safety stands.
  
  Never go under a when it is supported by only a hydraulic jack. Jacks of any kind are for lifting purposed only and not designed to support a load. Rest the vehicle on the safety stands before going under the vehicle. 

-Vehicle Operation-

• If the engine must be kept running while you are working on the car, block the wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving. Place the transmission in park for automatic transmissions or in neutral for manual transmissions. Set the parking (emergency) brake. Never stand directly in front of or behind a running vehicle.
  
  Run the engine only in a well-ventilated area to avoid the danger of poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) in the engine exhaust. Carbon monoxide is an odorless but deadly gas. If you are working in you garage get an exhaust hose, connect it to the cars exhaust pipe and run it under the garage door.