Occupational Skills: Safety, Tools, Documentation and Workflow
Working safely and documenting accurately
The Occupational Skills domain tests the habits that surround every repair rather than one system. Expect questions on hazard assessment and PPE selection (eye, hand, hearing, respiratory, fall protection), lockout and tagout of a vehicle or shop equipment, and correct support practice - a hydraulic jack lifts, but stands, cribbing and wheel chocks hold. Know extinguisher classes (A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C energized electrical, D combustible metals) and the rule that burning fuel or refrigerant needs the right agent, not water.
Measurement and torque are heavily tested. Be able to read a micrometer, vernier caliper, dial indicator, bore gauge and feeler gauge, and to choose between them: dial indicator for runout and backlash, feeler gauge or Plastigauge for clearance, bore gauge for taper and out-of-round. Torque wrenches must be used within their scale range, stored at the lowest setting, and applied smoothly rather than in jerks.
Documentation closes the loop. A work order records the customer complaint in their own words, the verified cause, the correction, plus parts, labour and deferred items. Diagnostic workflow follows a repeatable sequence: verify the complaint, gather information and service literature, test and isolate, repair, then confirm the original complaint is gone and nothing new was created.
Worked example - unit conversion. A specification reads 150 lb·ft. Using 1 lb·ft = 1.356 N·m: 150 × 1.356 = 203 N·m. A common trap is confusing lb·in with lb·ft - there are 12 lb·in in 1 lb·ft, so 150 lb·in is only 12.5 lb·ft.