Boy let me tell you I was sure disaster was inevitable the first time I ever worked on my car. I figured the first time I started it the neighbors would witness a fireworks display unlike anything that they had ever witnessed before. As I found out, this is a common fear shared by many first time mechanics. However, with that being said working on cars can still be dangerous. That’s why I’ve written out some basic safety rules everyone who works on cars should follow.
-Don’t smoke while working on your car. It’s filled with flammable fluids and materials that can otherwise be sensitive to smoke or fire.
-Never start a car project before you are sure the parking brake is on, the shifter is in park or neutral, and the engine has to be shut off. If you absolutely need to have the engine running to diagnose a problem or make an adjustment, make sure that you turn it on or off yourself to avoid the risk that an otherwise well intentioned friend would crank the engine while your hands are in the way.
-Make sure that the engine itself and the parts involved are relatively cool to the touch.
It’s very easy to get burned by hot engine parts while working on a car as the metal holds heat very well. Also, the fluids themselves may be hot enough to cause you to accidentally burn yourself on if they leak or spray on you without warning. If the job happens to require a warm engine, use caution.
-Always, always block the wheels properly before jacking a vehicle into the air. This may be a basic safety tip that I see abused more than any other out there. If a vehicle begins to roll while on a jack and your underneath it – there will be a very bad incident in your near future, trust me.
Don’t think that you don’t need to use a block, parking brakes fail at times!
-Always use an insulated tool when doing any kind of work on your vehicles electrical system. With an average voltage of between 12 to 14 volts and over 600 amps at the battery, severe electrical burns or injury are a possibility. Be aware of your work and your tools.
-It’s often found that well intentioned back yard mechanics will often use a ratchet or wrench to free a part that’s, well “Stuck.” When they do manage to liberate the part it will often fall directly onto their hand leaving them with a very colorful speech to follow. Or they may free the part only to have their hand hit something directly behind it. So the rule is, when possible always try to pull on a wrench or ratchet, only push on it when required. Also, make sure your hand isn’t under a heavy part that may fall as a result of it’s new found freedom and gravity.
-Be sure to remove your ring, necklaces and all other jewelry before beginning work. If they get snagged on something, they will likely become damaged and it’s possible you may as well.
-Pull back the ponytail or other long hair. If you have long hair, it can easily get caught by a spinning fan blade or belt and the resulting injury can be grave.
-When working with toxic chemicals make sure you keep them away from your eyes and mouth. Also be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after using them, store them safely and keep them away from your pets and children.
-Respect the fact that gasoline is very dangerous to have around. Not only is it’s flammable and toxic in liquid form, but the vapor can be highly explosive as well.
-Also keep a fire extinguisher on hand at all times.