Free auto repair shop workplace safety assessment

Start with these task groups. Use one worksheet per task, and add any task this list misses.

• Vehicle intake and movement

  Reversing, pedestrians, visibility and work around moving vehicles.

• Lifting and working beneath vehicles

  Support arrangements, equipment condition and tasks under a raised load.

• Tire and wheel work

  Stored pressure, moving components, handling and equipment instructions.

• Mechanical servicing

  Moving parts, hot components, stored energy and unexpected startup.

• Electrical and battery work

  Electrical energy, battery chemistry and vehicle-specific procedures.

• Solvents, fluids and exhaust

  Product identity, skin contact, airborne exposure and ventilation questions.

• Body repair or refinishing

  Dust, welding fumes, coating products and specialist exposure controls.

• Cleanup and unusual repairs

  Spills, waste, sharp material, unfamiliar equipment and maintenance.

5. 5

   Chemical hazards

   Brake cleaners, degreasers, fuel, battery electrolyte and paint hardeners: labels, safety data sheets, skin contact, exhaust extraction and refinishing ventilation.

6. 6

   Lifting and repeated strain

   Lifting wheels, batteries and transmissions, leaning into engine compartments, reaching overhead beneath vehicles, and pushing disabled cars or loaded tool carts.

7. 7

   Noise and vibration

   Impact wrenches, air compressors, grinders and bodywork hammers, including how long technicians use them and whether noise masks warnings in neighboring bays.

8. 8

   Heat, cold and physical agents

   Hot exhausts, radiators and engine parts, welding arcs, grinding sparks, and summer heat in service bays with limited air movement.

9. 9

   Biological hazards

   Sharps or contaminated items left inside customer vehicles, rodent droppings in engine compartments, and blood contact when helping an injured coworker.

10. 10

    Fire and emergencies

    Fuel draining, solvent-soaked rags, welding near flammable products, damaged batteries and exit routes narrowed by tires, parts or parked vehicles.

11. 11

    Confined or restricted spaces

    Service pits, tanks or below-grade spaces that workers enter: assess access, ventilation and possible hazardous atmospheres rather than assuming every bay is alike.

12. 12

    Violence and lone work

    Disputes over repair bills, cash handling, late vehicle pickup and technicians who close the shop or work in an isolated bay alone.

13. 13

    Work organization and contractors

    Rush jobs, diagnostic handoffs, apprentices, unfamiliar vehicle technology and contractors sharing bays, including who checks lifting and energy isolation before work starts.

14. 14

    PPE and exposure-control gaps

    Eye protection for underbody work and grinding, gloves suited to fluids or sharp parts, hearing protection, and separate respiratory-protection requirements for refinishing tasks.

15. 15

    Additional job-specific hazards

    Anything technicians, tire workers, service advisers or cleaners raise that this list misses, such as aftermarket modifications, damaged battery packs or new diagnostic equipment.

Consider eliminating or substituting the hazard first, then suitable engineering controls, administrative arrangements and PPE. The right combination depends on the job and the requirements that apply to it; PPE alone does not resolve every risk.

1. Elimination — remove the hazard or the task that creates it.
2. Substitution — use a less hazardous material, product, method or piece of equipment.
3. Engineering controls — separate people from the hazard with guards, barriers, ventilation or layout changes.
4. Administrative controls — change how the work is done through procedures, scheduling, instruction, signs and supervision.
5. Personal protective equipment (PPE) — protect each worker with equipment chosen, fitted and maintained for the task.

Ideas to discuss for this workplace:

• Identify unfamiliar vehicle systems and obtain the relevant manufacturer information before choosing a work method.
• Have qualified people verify lifting, support, energy control and any refinishing-exposure arrangements that apply.
• Record unresolved questions and who can answer them. Verify the arrangements for the actual vehicle and job instead of reusing an unrelated repair method.

For each action, record the hazard, the people exposed, existing controls, the additional action, its priority and the basis for it, the responsible role, a target date, verification evidence and any remaining questions. Do not close a finding just because a document was created.

List the services offered, vehicle types, lifting or tire equipment, bodywork and products used. Include unfamiliar jobs and repairs outside routine procedures. Bring worker concerns, equipment instructions, maintenance records and any existing task analyses.