Workshop Safety
Workshop Safety
This domain tests whether you can identify hazards in a light vehicle body shop and apply controls before work starts: PPE selection, fire prevention, chemical handling, compressed-air safety, lifting and housekeeping.
Core rules
- Match PPE to the task: impact goggles for grinding, a face shield over goggles for cutting, nitrile gloves for solvents, and an air-fed or A1P1 respirator for two-pack paints containing isocyanate.
- Hot work needs a permit, a fire blanket, a suitable extinguisher and 10 m clearance of fuel, thinners and trim. CO2 or dry powder suits electrical and flammable-liquid fires; water must never be used on petrol.
- Read the safety data sheet before decanting solvents. Store body-filler hardener (MEKP) away from acetone and heat because the two can react violently.
- Chock wheels and use stands, never a jack alone, before working under a vehicle.
- Keep compressed air below about 2 bar for cleaning and never point it at skin.
Worked example
A sill needs MIG welding and a fuel line runs inside it. Reasoning: remove or shield the line, disconnect the battery, purge fuel vapour, place a fire blanket behind the weld, set extraction at the arc, and wear a welding helmet, leather gloves and flame-retardant coveralls. The extinguisher stays within reach because sparks travel through trim cavities.
Traps
Using water on a petrol fire, blowing dust from overalls with compressed air, storing peroxide hardener beside solvents, and welding without a screen or fire watch. Also, candidates forget wheel chocks and jack stands in "quick" repairs.