Automotive Workshop Safety
This domain tests hazard recognition and safe behaviour in an automotive workshop: PPE, fire response, lifting, chemicals, batteries and housekeeping. Questions often place you in a realistic bay situation and ask what to do first.
Core rules
- Wear safety goggles, steel-toe boots and nitrile gloves for fluids; remove rings, watches and loose sleeves before working near belts, fans or a running engine.
- Run engines only with exhaust extraction or good cross-ventilation. Carbon monoxide is odourless and can accumulate quickly in a closed workshop.
- Fire classes matter: Class A solids (water, foam), Class B flammable liquids (foam, CO2, dry powder), Class C gases (dry powder), and electrical fires (isolate supply, then CO2 or dry powder). Never use water on petrol, diesel, solvent or live electrical equipment.
- Jack only on level ground with the handbrake on and wheels chocked. Support the vehicle on stands before going underneath; a hydraulic jack alone is a lifting device, not a support.
- Battery charging releases hydrogen. Keep sparks and flames away, charge in a ventilated area, and wear eye protection when handling electrolyte.
Worked example
A drip tray of petrol catches fire beside a vehicle. Reasoning: the fuel is a Class B liquid, and water would spread the burning petrol. The correct sequence is to raise the alarm and evacuate non-essential people, switch off the ignition and fuel source if safe, then use a foam, CO2 or dry-powder extinguisher. If the fire reaches the vehicle or building, leave it to the fire service. A CO2 extinguisher is chosen for a live electrical panel only after isolation if possible.
Traps
Using water on a fuel fire, working under a vehicle held only by a jack, cleaning skin with compressed air or petrol, and ignoring a gas smell are common mark-losers. Also remember that CO2 is poor for deep-seated Class A fires because it does not cool enough.