Does your facility have a policy to only allow escorted customers into the vehicle service area? What’s the policy at your facility? Do you forbid customers to enter the vehicle service area? Do you allow them in on their own? Or do you allow them to be escorted into the vehicle service area? These decisions may seem minute, but in reality they play a huge roll in safety of your employees and your customers.
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While the correlation between cell phone use and fatal car crashes is already high, new studies indicate that the true number of cell phone related fatal crashes are under-reported. Unfortunately data alone cannot capture the full impact of cell phone usage on the roads.
National data showed that cell phones were involved in 350 fatal car crashes nationwide in 2011; however, the absence of data makes the level of cell phone distracted auto fatalities appear lower than it actually may be. This is due to difficulty in obtaining cell phone records, the fact that drivers are either reticent to provide information on their cell phone use, are seriously injured or deceased, that witnesses’ memories and statements are inaccurate, and that there is no way to physically test an individual to see if they were using a cell phone.
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PPE Hazard Assessments, otherwise known as Personal Protective Equipment Hazard Assessments, are required at all auto facilities. What are they? PPE Assessments evaluate any hazards that may exist in your shop, what your employees do on a regular basis, what they’re exposed to, and what personal protective equipment they are required to wear.
It is possible to write your own Hazard Assessment, or, some companies, such as KPA, will provide Hazard Assessments for you.
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Many businesses, including dealerships, are currently exempt from keeping an OSHA 300 Log, depending on which SIC code their accounting department uses. All business activities that generate revenue are assigned a SIC code, based on the activity that generates the most revenue. Applicable dealership Exempt OSHA 300 Log SIC codes include New and Used Car Dealers (SIC Code 5511), Used Car Dealers (SIC Code 5521), and Motorcycle Dealers (SIC Code 5571)
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Typically, dealerships, garages, and body shops do not require a blood borne pathogens program because they are not exposed to blood on a regular basis. To find out if your facility is required to have a blood borne pathogens program, take an assessment here.
KPA recommends not keeping a blood borne pathogens kit on site if you aren’t required to. It can create undue attention in the case of OSHA inspections.
Keep your facility and your employees safe by finding out all you can about safety and requirements!
OSHA has instilled a variety of requirements for shops that have employees who wear respirators. This applies to any facility that conducts any spray coating operations including painting, priming, or rustproofing. To stay in compliance, make sure that you adhere to the following:
Not every dealership has a forklift onsite, but if you do, you are subject to the OSHA Powered Industrial Truck regulations. Review your OSHA paperwork and make sure you are compliant with the following laws:
Keep your files up to date and your employees trained to avoid OSHA forklift fines!
For those of you wondering what is going on with OSHA’s I2P2 regulation: it’s still in the pre-rule stage. There are 3 stages to regulatory promulgation: Pre-Rule, Proposed Rule, and Final Rule. The rule is scheduled to have a “Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act” study completed this month and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by December of 2013. That’s when we would likely switch to the Proposed Rule stage. With that schedule we might see a final regulation sometime in 2014, but more likely in 2015. A copy of the current information is shown below.
You might think that the parts department would be the easiest area of the dealership to keep clean and organized, but letting just a few things go can create big problems. Parts employees are dealing with everything from cardboard boxes, to corrosive batteries, and other hazardous materials. It is important to keep this area orderly to avoid accidents if items are left on the floor or haphazardly put on shelves.
It is the employer’s responsibility to provide a clean and safe work environment. Even if you hire subcontractors for the detail department, their safety and working conditions are ultimately part of your dealership’s responsibility. Do you recognize any of these problems? Do you follow these best practices for mitigating the problems? (more…)
