Advice Sheet 19: Car and Tyre Establishments

A Formal Structure for Dealing with Health and Safety

• You must have a definite structure for managing health and safety. Advice Sheet 3 will provide a framework for this.

• Bring together your key personnel e.g. workshop and bodyshop managers to form a safety committee.

• One way of getting started is to use the Advice Sheets in the Business Information to set your first Agenda.

The Paperwork

• The single most important document in both effectively managing health and safety and meeting your legal requirements is the Safety Policy.

• If you follow the guidance in each of the Advice Sheets in turn, starting with Risk Assessments, then you will have the majority of your Safety Policy in place. You can use the sample forms provided in the information for your risk assessment.

• You will also need written risk assessments in COSHH and Manual Handling and clear working procedures to manage health and safety effectively. We have included a range of forms which you may use to help you in this task.

• Use the formal structure you have set-up to spread the load in respect of assessments and establishing safe procedures

back to the top

Equipment Maintenance

Some of your equipment will require statutory examination. You are responsible for these:

• Plan and diarise the inspections; Understand the resulting paperwork and know how to deal with any identified defects (e.g section 5a and 5b entries in form F54's); Have clear isolation procedures; Keep paperwork in an accessible place for the required period.

• You must also decide on what type of maintenance the rest of your equipment requires. This may not necessarily result in service contracts. In-house checks on a formal and regular basis may suffice. Produce a Maintenance Schedule.

• You must have a regime for keeping your electrical equipment and installation in a safe condition. Essentially, this is mapped out for you in Advice Sheet 9. We have also included an Inspection Log and supplementary notes on this matter.

back to the top

Systems of Work

Your Risk Assessments should have identified where your main problem areas are. You must now draw up clear procedures for dealing with these risks. There are a number of areas to which you must pay particular attention. Use HS(G) 62 and HS(G) 67 to help you draw up a safe procedure for the following:

• Battery charging; Welding and cutting; Work on petrol and fuel tanks/lines; Brake and clutch work; Traffic management; Wheel and tyre changing and inflation; and Dermatitis

Rolling Roads: Ensure the friction coating on the rollers is in good condition. Hatch the floor around the rollers - make this a Prohibited Area during operation.

Exhaust Fumes: Your COSHH Assessment must include how you control risks from exhaust fumes. Things you must consider include the frequency of engine running; general ventilation; workshop size. However, you must be able to justify whether Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) is a necessary precaution in your particular circumstances.

Public Access to Vehicles: Ideally, the public should not have access to the vehicles in the workshop. However, we accept that in certain circumstances, this may be an established working practice. If so.

• Identify those operations which the public are not allowed near.

• Children should be prohibited under all circumstances.

• Provide specific and clear instructions for all staff.

• Ensure effective supervision of this.

First Aid Provision: See Advice Sheet 10 for your basic requirements on this. Where car repair is carried out then a Suitable Person should be provided.

Staff Welfare: Advice Sheet 8 gives general information on this. In specific terms however you should endeavour to achieve the following.

• Wash hand basins should be situated so as to encourage their use, i.e. close to the work activity in a convenient position. They should be provided with running hot and cold water and be kept in a clean condition.

• Eating facilities and rest rooms, separate from the workplace, should be provided and kept clean and in good repair.

Bodyshops

If your operation includes this activity, there are a number of specific measures which must be implemented. You should have the relevant documents to show that you ventilation systems are being routinely examined; Respiratory Protective Equipment must be of the correct type and you must have a definite procedure for checking and maintaining it. You will also need to carry out health surveillance on the sprayers. Some operations, such as the use of Air Chisels may necessitate a formal Noise Assessment. HS(G)67 contains guidance on all of these areas.

back to the top

Further Information:

Health and Safety in Tyre and Exhaust Fitting Premises. HS(G)62 (HSE) ISBN 0 11 885594;(2) Health and Safety in Motor Vehicle Repair. HS(G)67 (HSE) ISBN 0 11 885671 5; The Retail Motor Industry Federation guides to Management of Health and Safety at Work, the 6 pack Health and Safety Regulations, and COSHH Assessments. RMI Business Stationery, 201 Great Portland Street, London W1N AB

 Advice Sheet 19: Car and Tyre Establishments

A copy of this advice sheet is available to download in the following formats:

Advice Sheet 19: Car and Tyre Establishments - MS Word format 56Kb   

Advice Sheet 19: Car and Tyre Establishments - PDF format 73Kb  

Advice Sheet 19: Car and Tyre Establishments - Plain Text format 170Kb