Safety Precautions and Procedures in Automotive Workshops

This article discusses the safety precautions and procedures to follow while working on vehicle systems in an automotive workshop. It covers safety measures for exhaust, ignition, fuel, and LPG fuel systems, as well as high voltage hybrid vehicular systems. The article also explains the reporting procedures for faulty equipment, illness, incidents, and accidents. Additionally, it provides information on tools for repairing vehicle electrical circuits and electrical testing procedures for circuit electrical resistance, open circuit test, short circuit test, and current flow test.

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AUTOMOTIVE
By Name
Course
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Institution
Location
Date

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Safety precautions during working on vehicle systems
Exhaust system.
Putting on goggles as majority of exhaust systems are rusty in order to prevent entry of dislodged
metal chips into the eyes. Avoid working on the exhaust systems when the engine or exhaust is
hot thus should be allowed to cool first
Ignition system
Recognized safety glasses must be always put on during operation of the ignition system. Hands
must be always kept away from the spark plug wires during operation of the ignition system as
the engine is running.
Fuel system
Always keep sleeves of shirts rolled and buttoned with an aim of avoiding spills from fuel. In
addition loose materials should not be kept in the pocket as they can fall out resulting to sparks.
LPG fuel system
Consistent putting on of protective garments and clothing aimed at preventing burns, damages to
the eyes and static electricity discharge. The battery vehicle should be disconnected and erection
of warning signs should be done before engaging in the activity.

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High voltage hybrid vehicular systems
Wearing of protective clothes such as insulated gloves and face shield are encouraged with an
aim of protection from leaks from high voltage and risks from arc flash (Yu et al, 2011). The
working area should be containing access restriction from unauthorized personnel as it is a
dangerous high voltage area.
Reporting procedures for finding faulty equipment in a workshop
On identification of faulty equipment in the workshop, the individual responsible for the
workshop should take the following procedures:
 Verbally report the occurrence to the responsible local department
 Physically remove the equipment that is faulty to avoid its further use
 Store the material in a safe environment
 Manufacturer should be promptly informed and joined by the investigators to the scene of
incidence
 In a case where the equipment must still be used, all faulty parts must be vividly labeled.
Reporting procedures in relation to:
Illness
 Prompt reporting of illness by an employee
 Immediate sending of the employee to health services
 Documentation of the visit by a nurse
 Completion of the supervisors first report of employee injury form by the supervisor
within a day from the illness

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Incident
 Verbal reporting of the incident immediately
 On receiving the information, the supervisor must ensure that the employee receivers
relevant first aid, adequate medical treatment, the incident reporting form is completed,
ensure notification of all relevant personnel
Accident
 Reporting of the accident by the injured person
 The injured individual to key in what occurred in the accident book
 Completion of company accident investigation report (Crandall, 2011).
 Measures against repetition of the accident are generated through examination of the
investigation findings
Tools for repairing vehicle electrical circuits and storage procedures
 Circuit testers- its handle is made of a steel blade for durability and insulated handle of
plastic for safety
 Scan tools- the tools should be kept in a safe box
 Digital multimeters- it is kept in a meter case for durability
 Battery monitor reset tools- the set of tools should be kept safe from destruction risks
 Test light- it is stored in a safe box to avoid damages
Electrical testing procedures for the following scenarios

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Circuit electrical resistance
 The battery is removed
 Meter selector dial is turned to one of the settings for resistance
 Analog meter is calibrated
 The points of intended resistance measurement are touched with meter leads
Open circuit test
 The open circuit power and transformer current of excitation are measured through series
connection of a watt meter and ammeter
 Parallel connection of voltmeter to voltage source aimed at reading the applied test
voltage
 The winding of HV is kept open
Short circuit test
 Power transformer is separated from service
 HV/LV jumps are removed
 Neutral is disconnected from the ground
 Short circuited terminals are connected to terminals
Current flow test
 A small voltage is placed across the chosen path.
 Whenever the flow of electrons is destructed by resistance, the circuit is open
Reference

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Crandall, R.M., Harman Automotive Inc, 2011. Enhanced illuminated polymeric indicator
employed in a mirror housing of an automotive vehicle. U.S. Patent 5,938,320.
Yu, Y., Naganathan, N.G. and Dukkipati, R.V., 2009. A literature review of automotive vehicle
engine mounting systems. Mechanism and machine theory, 36(1), pp.123-142.