Workshop Safety, Tools and Equipment
Workshop Safety
Recognising and controlling hazards
Every task starts with a hazard review: what can hurt you (energy sources, chemicals, heat, pressure, electricity, moving loads) and what control removes or reduces it. The hierarchy runs elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE as the last line. PPE is task-specific: safety glasses for grinding and battery work, a face shield for air-line blowing, gloves matched to the chemical, hearing protection, steel-cap boots, and respiratory protection where dust or solvent vapour is present.
Vehicles and loads
A jack is a lifting device, not a support. Lift at the manufacturer's points, then lower onto stands rated for the load, on a hard level surface, with wheels chocked. Never work under a vehicle held only by a hydraulic jack, and never rely on a hoist without a secondary support. Plan heavy lifts, keep the load close, and use a crane or transmission jack rather than your back.
Fire, fuel and electricity
Know extinguisher classes: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C energised electrical, D combustible metals; ABC dry powder and CO2 are the common workshop types. Fuel and solvent vapours are heavier than air and travel to ignition sources, so drain into approved containers and keep a spill kit nearby. Batteries release hydrogen while charging, so no sparks and good ventilation. Treat SRS and high-voltage systems as live until proven isolated, and follow the lockout procedure.
Rule of thumb: jack to lift, stands to hold, chocks to stop. Traps in questions include choosing water on a fuel fire, using a jack as a stand, and assuming a disconnected battery makes an SRS safe immediately. Note that some systems retain reserve power for a set period after isolation.
Tools and Equipment
Measuring and torque tools
Candidates must be able to select and read the right instrument: vernier caliper and micrometer for outside dimensions, telescopic and small-hole gauges for bores, dial indicator for runout and endplay, feeler gauge for clearances, and Plastigauge for bearing oil clearance. Check zero before measuring, keep the instrument square to the work, and read the sleeve plus thimble scales carefully. Torque wrenches are precision instruments: use a smooth steady pull, hold the handle at the marked grip, support the head, and never use one to loosen fasteners. Store click-type wrenches at their lowest setting.
Hand and power tools
Six-point sockets grip hex fasteners better than twelve-point and are less likely to round a corroded nut; flank drive and impact-rated sockets matter on high-torque work. Use the correct size to avoid damage, pull rather than push a breaker bar, and keep cutting tools sharp. Air tools need clean, lubricated, regulated supply and safe hose couplings. Never exceed the rated speed of a grinding disc, and always fit the guard.
Diagnostic equipment
A multimeter, scan tool, oscilloscope, vacuum gauge, compression tester and leak-down tester each answer a different question. The scan tool shows what the control module believes; the meter and scope show what the circuit is actually doing.
Rule of thumb: a torque wrench is most accurate in the middle of its range, roughly 20–80 percent of full scale - a 200 N·m wrench is a poor choice for an 8 N·m fastener. Watch for traps around lubricated versus dry torque figures, torque-to-yield fasteners, and measuring resistance in a live circuit.