Safety protection are followed
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
work in a safe and sensible manner. A body
repairer is expected to follow the health and safety
recommendations of his/her employer; employers
are expected to provide a safe working environment
and advise on suitable safe working methods.
The current regulations which affect those who
work in the motor repair industry are given in this
long list which you are not expected to remember:
Factories Act 1961
Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963
Abrasive Wheels Regulations 1970
Fire Precautions Act 1971
Highly Flammable Liquids and Liquefied Petroleum
Gas Regulations 1972
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Eye Protection Regulations 1974
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1980
Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 1985
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations 1988
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Noise at Work Regulations 1989
Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers
Regulations 1989
A trainee body repairer is expected to appreciate
the principal requirements of the three main regulations.
So you will need to remember the names
of the following regulations and say how they
affect you at work.
Factories Act This sets out specific regulations
relating to: working temperature and heating of
buildings, fitting of machine guards, lighting of the
working area, control of dust, fire escape provision,
washing and toilet facilities and rest rooms. The
Factories Act was aimed at employers, it was
designed to make factories, including garages, better
places to work. The trainee body repairer can help
the employer comply with this Act by working in a
clean and tidy manner and reporting any breakages,
or shortages, immediately to the chargehand or senior
technician.
For example, if the barrier cream dispenser is
empty, see the chargehand for permission to install
a refill from stores.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA)
This states that it is the duty of every employee to
work in a safe and secure manner that will not
cause any harm or injury to the individual or anybody
else, also to take care of any safety equipment
and to cooperate with employers to comply
with any related regulations. The HSWA was
designed to cover the areas of work which the
Factories Act did not cover, for instance schools
and colleges, especially their motor vehicle workshops.
You will not find any specific statements in
the HSWA, but the guidelines issued by government
bodies and trade associations interpret how
the HSWA should be read.
As a trainee you must follow the health and safety
advice issued by your employer, unless you know
that it is wrong, in which case you should point this
out and seek advice from your union safety representative.
You must not damage any equipment
which is provided for your use, nor knowingly break
any health and safety regulations. It is your duty in
the eyes of the law to know about the regulations
which affect you; in practice you will learn them as
you learn your trade. But using common sense and
thinking before you act is always good policy, as is
asking questions about things you do not know.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations 1974 (COSHH) These require that
Health and safety 77
substances used in the workplace are correctly
labelled and instructions for their safe storage and
use are available.
This means almost any substance which you are
likely to find in a garage, but particularly oils,
greases, paints, brake fluid, battery acid and cleaning
materials. As a trainee mechanic you should
take time to read the information which your
employer has provided on the substances, these are
known as COSHH sheets and will be available
from either the service department office or the
parts department workshop counter.
Identified hazards in the