Fire Safety Tips for Auto Repair Shops

According to Acuity’s internal data, fire is one of the most common claims for auto repair shops. Unfortunately, fire also causes some of the most expensive claims. Protecting your shop against fire is a great place to start when looking to reduce the likelihood of a major claim in your shop.

To bring you some fire safety tips, I collaborated with Scott Leistner, one of Acuity’s loss control representatives. Scott has more than 20 years of experience in assisting automotive repair, manufacturing, and supply businesses with loss control. He works with these businesses to develop risk improvement solutions, including those aimed at fortifying fire protection practices.

It's important to develop and implement formal policies and programs for fire prevention. You should train staff in proper use of fire extinguishers and enforce a no-smoking policy. You should conduct weekly self-inspections and correct any hazards found in inspection, so they don’t contribute to a fire. 

Here are a few more of Scott’s tips for reducing the risk of fire in your shop:

1. Keep a clean shop. Maintain a high level of housekeeping at all times, removing trash and waste daily and cleaning up oil spills immediately using absorbent materials. Discard all oily rags in metal storage containers with self-closing lids to reduce the likelihood of spontaneous combustion. Keep solvent tanks clean and maintained and make sure the lid closes securely.
2. Store wisely. Effective storage practices help prevent fires. Store flammable and combustible liquids in approved flammable liquid storage cabinets and keep all combustibles away from heating sources like furnaces and hot water heaters. Store tires separately, away from all flammables and potential ignition sources. Finally, do not allow temporary storage to block access to fire extinguishers and other fire prevention equipment. Check with your local government or fire department on your city’s rules for safely disposing of and storing electric vehicle batteries. 
3. Practice proper use of electrical equipment. Ensure all electrical equipment, and tools are properly grounded and immediately discontinue use of and remove any damaged electrical equipment or cords. Inspect and maintain battery charging equipment and keep combustibles far away from it. Extension cords should be for short term use only. If you need a more permanent solution, contact a qualified electrician to install more outlets. Do not use portable electric space heaters.
4. Use care with spray painting – Its best to apply spray paint in a properly vented booth with fire protection.  This reduces the risk of fire and overspray onto other vehicles.  
5. Guard against fires from hot work/welding.  Implement effective hot work procedures to prevent sparks from igniting combustibles during cutting and welding work. It’s best to designate a hot work area where no combustible or flammable liquids are allowed. If that’s not possible, perform a thorough housekeeping check before work begins
6. Inspect hydraulic lifts for leaks and repair immediately if a leak if present. Hydraulic fluid can fuel a fire. In addition to the risk of fire, when a lift fails the technician can be severely injured and the vehicle is likely to get damaged 
7. Schedule regular inspections and preventive maintenance - Electrical systems, HVAC equipment, and fire-protection systems must be maintained properly to ensure they function properly. 

At Acuity, we offer expert loss control services to our business policyholders at no extra charge. Our loss control representatives are safety and insurance professionals who have college degrees, technical certifications, and an average of 25 years of experience in the field. These representatives partner with our customers to minimize risk of future losses by assisting with safety and loss prevention initiatives.