Workshop Safety, Tools, Equipment and Environmental Practice
Workshop Safety, Tools, Equipment and Environmental Practice tests safe battery work, electrical isolation, tool use and responsible waste handling. The exam expects practical safety decisions, not slogans.
Core rules
- PPE includes safety glasses, gloves, acid-resistant apron for battery work, hearing protection and steel-toe boots.
- Lead-acid batteries produce hydrogen; charge in a ventilated area with no sparks or flames. Acid burns should be flushed with plenty of water and medical help sought.
- Isolate before work; on negative-earth systems disconnect the negative terminal first and reconnect it last.
- Use insulated tools, remove jewellery, and use CO2 or dry powder extinguishers on electrical fires, not water.
- Manage waste: used oil, batteries, coolant, solvents and refrigerant must go to licensed disposal; consult safety data sheets.
Worked example
Charging a 60 Ah battery in a small room: hydrogen is lighter than air and can accumulate at the ceiling. A 4–75% concentration in air is explosive. The charger may spark when connected or disconnected, so connect and disconnect with the charger switched off, ventilate the area and keep flames away. If acid spills on skin, flush immediately with plenty of water; do not neutralise with a strong base.
Traps
Wearing a metal watch near a battery terminal. Disconnecting the positive first on a negative-earth vehicle. Using water on a live electrical fire. Storing acid and waste oil together. Lifting a battery by the terminals.