Auto Workshop Safety, Tools and Equipment
What the exam tests
Auto workshop safety, tools and equipment covers PPE, fire safety, lifting, hand and power tools, torque wrenches and safe workshop behaviour. Questions test correct tool selection and hazard control.
Core rules and concepts
- Wear safety glasses, gloves and safety shoes; use hearing protection near air tools.
- Support a lifted vehicle with jack stands on a hard level surface; never work under a vehicle held only by a jack.
- Chock wheels and disconnect the battery before welding or major electrical work.
- Use the correct fire extinguisher: CO₂ or dry powder for electrical and fuel fires; water is not for fuel or electrical fires.
- Use a torque wrench within its range and return it to the lowest setting after use.
- Impact sockets are for impact wrenches; chrome hand sockets can crack.
Worked example
A torque wrench is 0.4 m long and the specification is 40 N·m. Required force at the handle is F = T/d = 40/0.4 = 100 N. If a 0.5 m bar is used with the same 100 N force, torque becomes 50 N·m, overtightening the fastener. This is why extensions that change the lever length require recalculation or a calibrated adapter.
Traps that cost marks
- Using a pipe to increase leverage on a torque wrench.
- Working under a vehicle supported only by a hydraulic jack.
- Using a chrome socket on an impact wrench.
- Aiming a water extinguisher at a fuel fire.