Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes protective clothing, safety footwear, safety glasses or face shields, welding shields, and gloves. These items help protect workers from injuries caused by heat, sparks, sharp objects, chemicals, and moving machinery.

PPE is a vital element of workshop clothing

You can help ensure the safety of others by understanding and following general workshop safety procedures and using machines correctly. Safe behavior, awareness, and reporting hazards also help prevent accidents in the workplace.

Compressed air should never be pointed at yourself or other people because high-pressure air can cause serious injuries. Air hoses and guns should also be used carefully and checked regularly for damage or leaks.

Always read and follow operating instructions before using a machine, keep machines properly serviced, and keep hands and loose clothing away from moving parts. Correct use of guards and safety devices is also important.

Check that all guards are correctly fitted and that tool rests or supports are properly adjusted. Also ensure the machine is clean, stable, and safe to operate.

Portable electric tools should be kept in good working condition and used according to instructions. Power cables, plugs, and switches should always be checked for wear or damage before use.

When parking a vehicle, apply the handbrake firmly and place the transmission in reverse gear or “Park” for automatic vehicles. This helps prevent the vehicle from rolling unexpectedly.

Protective guards or covers should be placed over mudguards, seats, and nearby body panels. This helps prevent scratches, dents, oil stains, and other damage during repair work.

Correct jacking points are designed to safely support the vehicle’s weight. Using the wrong point can damage the body or chassis and may cause the vehicle to slip, leading to injury.

Jack a vehicle safely and place lifting stands in the right places

Batteries contain corrosive acid that can cause burns and can also release explosive gases. Sparks, flames, or incorrect handling may lead to explosions or serious injury.

Possible hazards when working with batteries

If airbags deploy, they may cause serious injury if the person is not sitting in the normal driver or passenger position – and they will deploy if crash sensors are disturbed or voltage is applied to the wiring.

An airbag that has been deployed

Exhaust gas, engine moving parts such as fans, belts and pulleys, hot engine coolant, hot exhaust manifolds, electrical shocks from the high-voltage ignition system, risk of fire from petrol and LPG leaks.

A flammable liquid is a liquid that can easily catch fire from heat, sparks, or open flames. Such liquids should be clearly labeled and stored in approved flammable-liquid storage cabinets.

Flammable liquids storage cabinet 

Information on an SDS includes:

• manufacturer’s details and product name, 
• dangerous goods classification, 
• physical properties, 
• hazard information, 
• precautions for use and safe-handling, 
• storage and 
• emergency information.

Safety data sheet CASTROL

Spontaneous combustion is a fire that starts naturally through chemical reactions between certain materials without an external flame or spark. Oily rags and some chemicals can create this risk if stored improperly.

Combustible materials are substances that can burn when heated or vaporized. Examples include wood, paper, cloth, fuel, and some chemicals commonly found in workshops.

Air contains oxygen, which supports combustion and allows fire to continue burning. Reducing the oxygen supply can help control or extinguish a fire.

Fires are classed as A, B, C, D, E as follows:

 1 – Class A: Fires with solid materials, such as paper, wood, cloth.

 2 – Class B: Fires with flammable liquids, such as petrol, kerosene, methylated spirits and paints

 3 – Class C: Fires with flammable gases, such as LPG and NGV

 4 – Class D: Burning metals, such as magnesium, sodium, lithium

 5 – Class E: Live electrical equipment fires, such as in switchboards, electric equipment, motors, switches, appliances

Dry powder or CO₂ (carbon dioxide) extinguishers should be used on electrical fires. These extinguishers do not conduct electricity and are safer for energized electrical equipment.

Foam extinguishers are used for class A and B fires. They must not be used on electrical fires. They are red with a blue band and eject foam, which can be used on petrol and similar liquid fires.

The foam blankets the liquid, cutting off the air supply. If the fire is in a container of liquid, the foam should be directed to the side of the container so that it spreads across the surface of the liquid.

The triangle represents the three elements of a fire—air, fuel and heat. Remove one side of the triangle and it will collapse, just as removing one element of the fire will extinguish it

First aid means rendering immediate assistance in the event of an accident or sudden sickness. The most important actions are those which save life; for example, resuscitation, stoppage of severe bleeding and treatment of poisoning.

All workshops should have at least one person who is fully trained in first aid and who knows what to do in an emergency. If an accident occurs in a workshop, or there is a case of sudden illness, a person with first-aid training will know how to handle the situation.