You can always buy a new wing for a car,but you cannot buy a new arm for a mechanic. In the event of an accident people come first. For instance if a building is on fire,do not re-enter to retrieve your belongings,wait until the fire is out...

By law all companies are required to maintain records of accidents which take place at work. These records are usually kept in an accident book.Accident books may be inspected by HSE inspectors (generally referred to as factory inspectors);...

If a person is injured the first action must be toensure that first aid is given by a competent first aider or other suitable person. Most companies have a designated first aider who is trained to deal with accidents and emergencies. If you...

The best policy is not to let customers into the workshop many garages have a notice to this effect on the workshop door. For MOT purposes garages must have a customer viewing area. However,it is not always possible to keep people out of the...

Should there be an accident the first thing to do is call for help. Either contact your supervisor or a known first aid person. Should any of these not be available,and it is felt appropriate,call for your local doctor or an ambulance. You...

The following table lists typical items of personal protective equipment (PPE) and states when they must be worn. You will often see safety notices requiring you to wear certain PPE in some areas at all times,this is because other people ar...

Do not attempt to manually carry a load which you cannot easily lift and which you cannot see above and around. The maximum weight of load that you should lift is 20 kilogrammes,but as a trainee this may still be too heavy for you. When you...

Many pieces of garage equipment are marked only to be used by authorized personnel. This is mainly because incorrect use can cause damage tothe equipment,the workpiece or the operator. Do not operate equipment which you have not been properl...

As a trainee in the motor industry your company will require you to report any dangerous situations to your supervisor; this will be a person that you know as the chargehand,foreperson or service manager. Any internal matter should in the fi...

This section is about those situations where the hazards cannot be readily removed,that is,how do you behave in accident situations,or when equipment malfunctions and you can see an accident about to happen? Most mechanics are only likely to...

You must work in a safe manner or you are breaking the HSWA and are liable to a fine of up to 2000 and/or imprisonment. This means following the safe working practices which are normally used within the industry. The guidelines published by...

It is the duty of every employee and employer in the motor industry to comply with the statutory regulations relating to health and safety and the associated guidelines which are issued by the various government offices. That means you must...

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The Reporting of Injuries,Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 require that certain information is reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This includes the following: 1.Death or major injury if an employee or membe...

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations require that assessments are made of all substances used in the body repair shop,for instance paint and body filler. This assessment must state the hazards of using the materials and...

Before using electrical equipment the body repairer is advised to check the following: 1.Cable condition check for fraying,cuts or bare wires. 2.Fuse rating the fuse rating should be correct for the purpose as recommended by the equipment ma...

The normal mains electricity voltage via a three-pin socket outlet is 240 volts; heavy duty equipment such as vehicle hoists use 415 volts in the form of a three-phase supply. Both 240 volt and 415 volt supplies are likely to kill anybody w...

The Electricity at Work Act 1989 fully covers the responsibilities of both the employee and the employer. As a body repairer you are obliged to follow these regulations for the protection of yourself and your colleagues. Some of the importan...

The Health and Safety at Work Act imposes on employers a statutory duty to ensure safe working conditions and an absence of risk in the use of equipment and the handling of materials,and to comply with Regulations regarding safe working pra...

It is a legal requirement that all safety signs used in a bodyshop comply with BS 5378:Part 1. Each of these signs is a combination of colour and design, within which the symbol is inserted. If additional information is required,supplementa...

The colour codes for each type of appliance are as follows: Red for water. Cream for foam. Black for CO2. Blue for powder. Green for halon (BCF). Figures 2.12ac show various types of extinguisher. Although older fire extinguishers are colou...

(a)Good housekeeping means putting rubbish away rather than letting it accumulate. (b)Read the manufacturers material safety data sheets so that the dangers of flammable liq- uids are known. (c)Only take from the stores sufficient flammable...

Fire risks in the vehicle body repair shop cover all classes of fire:class A,i.e. paper,wood and cloth; class B,i.e. flammable liquids such as oils,spirits, alcohols,solvents and grease; class C,i.e. flammable gases such as acetylene,propan...

Because three ingredients are necessary for fire to occur,it follows logically that if one or more of these ingredients is removed,fire will be extinguished. Basically three methods are employed to extinguish a fire:removal of heat (cooling...

Fire is a chemical reaction called combustion (usually oxidation resulting in the release of heat and light). To initiate and maintain this chemical reaction,or in other words for an outbreak of fire to occur and continue,the following elem...

The Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations 1992 replaced and extended the old Fire Precautions Act 1971 as from 1 January 1993. These Regulations are aligned with standard practice in EC Directives in placing the responsibility for co...

The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 define three action levels for exposure to noise at work: 1A daily personal exposure of up to 85 dB(A). Where exposure exceeds this level,suitable hearing protection must be provided on request (Figure 2.1...

One of the most important hazards faced by the bodyshop worker is that of potential damage to the lungs. Respirators are usually needed in body repair shops even though adequate ventilation is provided for the working areas. During welding,...

Safety footwear is essential in the bodyshop environment. Boots or shoes with steel toecaps will protect the toes from falling objects. Rubber boots will give protection from acids or wet conditions. Never wear defective footwear as this bec...

Eye protection is required when there is a possibility of eye injury from flying particles when using agrinder,disc sander,power drill or pneumatic chisel,or when removing glass windscreens or working underneath vehicles. Many employers are...

Head protection is very important to the bodyworker when working underneath a vehicle or underits bonnet while it is being repaired. A light safetyhelmet,normally made from aluminium,fibreglassor plastic,should be worn if there is any danger...

Protective clothing Protective clothing is worn to protect the worker and his clothes from coming into contact with dirt, extremes of temperature,falling objects and chemical substances. The most common form of protective clothing for the b...

Body technicians and painters are constantly handling substances which are harmful to health. The harmful effect of liquids,chemicals and materials on the hands can be prevented,in many cases,by wearing the correct type of gloves. To comply...

All employees should be aware of the importance of personal hygiene and should follow correct procedures to clean and protect the skin in order to avoid irritants causing skin infections and derma- titis. All personnel should use a suitable...

The main responsibility for occupational health and safety lies with the employer. It is the employer who must provide a safe working envir- onment,safe equipment and safety protection and must also ensure that all work methods are carried...

Single vehicle approval scheme The Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) scheme is apre-registration inspection for cars and light goods vehicles that have not been type-approved to British or European standards. The main purposeof the scheme is to...

Vehicle type approval Many industrial sectors are subject to some form of approval or certification system but road vehicles are a special case,because of their importance to and impact upon society,and have been subject to specific technica...

Vehicle identification numbers The vehicle identification number (VIN) is stamped on a plate located typically inside the engine compartment or on a door pillar. A VINsystem is shown in Figure 1.52. The figure alsoshows the paint and trim co...

Comparative terms in common use by British,American and European car manufacturers As manufacturers use differing terms for the various body panel assemblies and individual panels,difficulties may arise when identifying specific panels. The...

Complete body shell A contemporary vehicle embracing all the latest techniques of panel assembly is shown in Figures 1.50 and 1.51. Figure 1.50 illustrates the com- pleted structure with all panel assemblies in place. Figure 1.51 shows the...

Trims Some details of exterior and interior trims are shown in Figures 1.48 and 1.49. Figure 1.48 Exterior trim (Rover Group Ltd) 73Lower front grille 74Front spoiler 75Front bumper 76Front bumper insert 77Front grille 81Door mirror assembl...

Bonnet The bonnet (Figure 1.45) is the panel which covers the engine compartment where this is situated at the front of the vehicle,or the boot compartment of a rear-engined vehicle. Several kinds of bonnets are in use on different makes of...

Boot lid or tailgate This is really another door which allows access to the luggage compartment in the rear of the car (Figure 1.46). A boot lid is composed of an outer and an inner panel. These panels are spot welded along their flanged edg...

1.5.14 Doors Several types of door are used on each vehicle built,although the construction of the various doors is similar regardless of the location of the door on the vehicle,as indicated on Figure 1.47. The door is composed of two main...

Wings A wing is a part of the body which covers the wheel. Apart from covering the suspension construction, the wing prevents water and mud from being thrown up on to the body by the wheels. The front wings (or the fender assembly) are usua...

Rear wheel arch assembly This assembly is constructed as an integral part of the inner construction of the rear quarter panel. It is usually a two-piece construction comprising the wheel arch and the quarter panel, which are welded together...

Rear quarter panel or tonneau assembly This is integral with the side frame assembly and has both inner and outer construction. The inner construction comprises the rear wheel arch and the rear seat heelboard assembly. This provides the sup...

AutoRoof panel The roof panel is one of the largest of all major body panels, and it is also one of the simplest in construction. The area which the roof covers varies between different makes and models of cars. On some cars, the roof panel...

Body side frame assembly On a four-door saloon this incorporates the A-post, the BC-post, the D-post and the rear quarter section. The side frames reinforce the floor pan along the sill sections. The hinge pillar or A-post extends forward t...

Complete underbody assembly This is commonly called the floor pan assembly, and is usually composed of several smaller panels welded together to form a single floor unit. All floor panels are reinforced on the underside by stiffening member...