Lifting and Supporting a Vehicle on an Uneven Floor
You are working alone in a small workshop bay on a Saturday morning. The concrete floor has a shallow slope toward a drain, roughly 1 in 80, and there is a visible crack running across the bay. You need to remove a front subframe from a front-wheel-drive hatchback, which means the front suspension will be hanging free. The two-post hoist in the bay has a rated capacity of 3,200 kg and the vehicle's kerb weight is 1,410 kg. The hoist's arm pads are worn and one arm does not lock positively in the raised position. A trolley jack and two axle stands rated at 2,000 kg each are available. The workshop manual specifies subframe bolt torque and states the subframe must be supported during removal. No one else is on site and your phone is in your bag across the bay.
1. Assess the hazards and decide whether to proceed. What controls are needed before any work starts?
Read the worked answer
Do not start the job as the bay currently stands. The hazards are:
- The two-post hoist has a worn, non-locking arm. A hoist that does not lock positively can drop or shift under load, and the front suspension will be hanging free, which changes the load distribution. This alone makes the hoist unfit for use until repaired and inspected.
- The sloping floor and the crack reduce the stability of any jack or stand. A 1 in 80 slope is small but enough to let a trolley jack roll or a stand creep under vibration.
- Working alone with no one to assist or raise an alarm, and the phone out of reach, means an injury could go unnoticed.
- Removing a subframe with suspension hanging free creates a heavy falling object risk.
Controls before work starts: tag out the hoist and report the faulty arm for repair and inspection. Move the job to a level bay if one is available, or use wheel chocks and a level pad under the stands. Use stands rated well above the load and place them on the manufacturer's jacking points. Keep the phone on your person. Arrange for a second person on site or check in at agreed intervals. Confirm the subframe support method from the manual before removing any bolts.
2. The supervisor says the hoist is fine and tells you to get on with it. How should you respond, and what does the relevant work health and safety duty require of you?
Read the worked answer
You should decline to use the hoist and explain why, calmly and specifically. The duty to work safely sits with you as well as the supervisor: you must not operate plant you know to be defective, and you must report the defect. A verbal instruction does not override that duty.
Practical response:
- State the specific defect: the arm does not lock positively and the pads are worn, so the hoist is not fit for a job where the front suspension hangs free.
- Point out the floor slope and the lone-working risk.
- Tag the hoist out of service and record the defect in the maintenance or hazard log so there is a written trail.
- Ask for the job to be rescheduled to a level bay or for the hoist to be repaired and inspected before use.
- If the supervisor insists, escalate to the workshop manager or the health and safety representative. You have the right to refuse work you reasonably believe is unsafe.
Document the conversation and the defect. The aim is not to win an argument but to get the job done without injury, and a written record protects you if the issue recurs.