Just because you have insurance for your body shop or garage doesn’t mean you want to use it. Keep yourself and your employees safe while on the job to prevent accidents and insurance claims.
Share these tips with everyone at the shop so you can all work safer.
- Never wear loose clothing, bulky gloves, or jewelry while working. It could get caught on a vehicle, machine, or tool.
- Tie back longer hair to keep it from tangling with machinery, tools, or equipment.
- Wear eye protection to keep dirt, metal, acid, refrigerant, and other contaminants out of your eyes.
- Wear ear protection to prevent permanent hearing damage or loss from the use of loud equipment.
- Use breathing protection while working with aromatic chemicals, and wear a dust mask while grinding, sanding, or sand blasting to avoid breathing in dangerous chemicals or particles.
- Never crawl under a vehicle that is not properly supported.
- Disconnect at least one battery cable or remove the power fuses when doing electrical repairs. This prevents electrical shorts that damage wiring or cause a fire.
- Disconnect the battery and wait at least 15 minutes before conducting wiring tests. Crossing, jumping, or shorting wires could deploy the airbags and cause injury.
- Turn off the engine before disconnecting or unplugging the electrical connectors.
- Use caution when opening fuel lines on a fuel-injected vehicle.
- Never smoke while working with fuel-related components.
- Watch out for any moving parts like belts, pulleys, or fans.
- Let the engine cool for at least an hour before opening the radiator cap.
- Keep your work area clean and tidy to prevent tripping, falling, or other accidents.
- Alert your supervisor to safety hazards or physical ailments that prevent you from performing your work safely.
Why Safety Matters
No one wants to get hurt on the job. It means being in pain, dealing with doctors, being out of work, and having less money. As a shop owner, you don’t want to file multiple workers compensation claims for your employees as that can cause your premiums to skyrocket. Implementing a safety plan keeps everyone safer.
At the same time, safety concerns can cause damage to customers’ vehicles. Just because you have garage-keepers coverage doesn’t mean you want to use it. Especially since a really angry customer could decide to sue if the damage is really bad or obvious safety risks caused the damage.
Have high expectations of everyone who works in your body shop or garage. Make sure everyone understands what the safety measures are and why they’re important. Train the mechanics who need help understanding the importance of safety. Reward those who care and work safely. You don’t need the risk, the liability, or the insurance claims.
Need to update your body shop’s insurance policy? Not sure what kind of coverage you have for your garage? Contact Charlotte Insurance today for a free quote and help to find the perfect policy for your business.