Safety’s fine if you’ve got the time
For many, part of the fun of owning a specialty vehicle is time spent in the shed working on it. But that fun can turn into trouble if safety isn’t considered. We’ve all had little whoopsies working on our cars, which at the very least has slowed work for a moment. But many injuries are serious enough to warrant a trip to the emergency department. Tragically, in Australia between 2000 and 2019, 120 Aussies died during DIY work on their cars. So, let’s talk about shed safety.
Safety first. OK, maybe third
When it comes to shed safety, it’s always better to take preventative steps rather than just reacting later. The simplest way to keep yourself injury-free is to have the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) nearby. Safety shoes, eye protection, gloves and earmuffs are the bare essentials. Keep a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit nearby, where they are easy to grab if needed. Most do-it-yourself accidents are non-life-threatening, and most of those can be prevented with PPE, so it’s cheap insurance.
Safety shoes
Slips and falls can be pretty common when working around cars, especially if there’s spilled fluid on the floor. Besides keeping your work area clean, quality shoes can help prevent a nasty accident. Depending on the type of vehicle projects or repairs you do, you can choose different kinds of shoes for your shop. Leather, steel-toed boots will help protect against burns, cuts, impacts, and punctures, but may not always be needed.
Eye protection
Injuries requiring emergency department treatment are most often eye injuries (33%), followed by hands and fingers (25%). Working underneath a vehicle is especially risky for your eyes because dust, oil, and other substances can easily fall into them. Protective goggles are a simple preventative measure. According to a Monash University study, of all DIY injuries, 14.9% involved a grinder, and 8.2% a welder. Welding helmets are essential, auto-darkening helmets are very inexpensive nowadays. When grinding, a full-face shield will offer better protection than just safety glasses. Safety squints just don’t cut it!
Gloves
Overall, gloves help keep your hands clean and lower the chances of germs reaching your skin. However, specialised gloves can serve different purposes depending on your task. Heat-resistant gloves can be invaluable when working around hot engines and fluids. Cut-resistant gloves are handy for sheet-metal work when carrying out body mods and the like. Nitrile gloves work great when handling chemicals such as weak acids, caustics, or alcohol, and solvents.
Earmuffs
Protecting your hearing is crucial. Noise levels above 85 decibels can cause irreversible damage over time. Luckily, with the right hearing protection, you can safeguard your ears and avoid these problems. Earplugs and earmuffs are two effective options for minimising noise impact. Earplugs, usually made from soft materials like foam or silicone, fit into the ear canal to block out noise. They’re portable, affordable, and easy to find. Earmuffs, on the other hand, cover the entire ear and offer even greater noise reduction.
Fire extinguishers and first aid kits
Fires are classified into six categories based on what fuels them. Identifying the type of fuel helps determine which extinguisher is needed. In Australia, there are six main types of fire extinguishers: water, foam, dry powder, carbon dioxide (CO2), wet chemical, and vaporising liquid. Each type is marked with a coloured band to indicate its contents. Unfortunately, all six categories of fire are possible in a shed/ workshop situation. This chart will help choose an extinguisher that best suits the work you’ll be likely to be doing.
A well-organized and properly stocked first aid kit can make a big difference in a medical emergency. Every shed should have a general first aid kit to handle common injuries. It doesn’t have to be expensive or designed especially for first aid supplies, but it should be identifiable as a first aid kit. Keep it in an accessible and visible spot, where it is dry and out of children’s reach. The kit should include essentials like bandages, burn treatments, and cleaning and sterilisation tools. It’s also important to know how to use the items in your first aid kit before you need them.
Other PPE
Most PPE is inexpensive, easy to use and effective in protecting you. So, it’s worth investing in the correct gear as the need arises. Older cars brakes, gaskets and clutches all use asbestos, so it’s safest to use a respirator to protect yourself. Long sleeves and trousers will protect you from grinding sparks and more.
Beyond PPE
Now that the commonsense part is out of the way, into some nitty gritty it is! It’s important to have the space and equipment in the shed to create a safe place for everyone using it. Things like a level surface to jack the car up on, and jack stands for under the vehicle. When it comes to fatalities, research shows most happen when the victims are working under a car. Most victims were aged 40 to 49 and happened because they lifted or supported the vehicle incorrectly. A hydraulic jack is just for lifting the car to the height of a sturdy support, like jack stands.
Keep your work area clean and tidy. A messy, cluttered shed can be risky. Put away your tools, wipe up any oil or fluid spills, and keep all walkways clear of obstacles. How about a way of keeping yourself cool during the summer months? That’s something easily overlooked. Fans or air-conditioning don’t just help keep you comfortable, they can be life savers.
Another often overlooked area is lighting. Your shed should be the brightest place in your home with all the potential hazards and tools being used in there. A good mix of overhead and task lighting won’t only improve safety, but it’ll make working more pleasant too.
Stay safe or die trying
Here are some other pointers for keeping safe while working in the garage.
- No gloves while anything is rotating.
- No hoodie strings in the shop. Any hoodie or jacket that will ever be used in the garage should have the hood strings removed.
- This is a repeat of what has been said above, but it’s a golden rule worth repeating. Lesson ONE of using a hydraulic jack is never trust it with your life. They can and do fail, and when they fail, they drop. USE JACK STANDS. This goes for hydraulic lifts too; you raise the vehicle and then drop the lift on the locks.
- Never approach someone who is using a piece of equipment unless they’re aware of your presence.
- Two small mistakes and stop the project till another day before a big one happens.
- Isopropyl is the only alcohol allowed. if any other alcohol comes out, the tools don’t get touched anymore for the day.
- If it feels unsafe, it probably is.
- Stay in the shop to perform a fire watch for 30 minutes after any hot work. It’s a good time to clean the place up.
- Don’t smoke in or near garages.
- Don’t do any undercar work unless someone else is home.
- Dispose of rags and fluids properly.
If you’re a car enthusiast, you will likely get your hands dirty in the shed someday. So, keep these things in mind to keep yourself from harm. Want to see what we’ve been up to in our shed? Check it out here.