Repairers need only read their local news to see how quickly a fire, flood or other disaster can swallow up a small business. With wildly unpredictable and changing weather patterns, no shop should consider itself immune from any type of disaster. In the past year in an urban northeast Philadelphia neighborhood, a small tornado (lasting just 20 seconds) struck a one-block area and collapsed the roof of a collision repair shop.
In these circumstances, repairers, like any small business owner, typically can do little more than plan to lessen the impact of such a calamity by investing in the right insurance and making some contingency plans. Where repairers can be more effective is heading off disasters in their own shops – most notably, those caused by fires and explosions. While you may think you're doing enough in this area, there's likely more you can do to prevent a disaster that could spell the end of your business.
Refer to the following areas, suggested by the risk analysts at Zurich Financial Services, you should address.
Step 1: Electric
Your business runs on electricity – computer systems, power tools, paint booths and lighting, all powered by electricity. While your shop might be up to code and your employees might believe they're taking every necessary safety step, you should take these steps:
1. Retain a licensed electrical contractor to perform regular inspections of electrical systems. Moisture and caustic chemicals can eat away at building materials and wiring insulation. Inspections are relatively inexpensive and may even cut your insurance costs.
2. Establish a three-foot clear zone in front of electrical panels and transformers. Don't even tempt your employees to move equipment or perform work in these potentially dangerous areas.
3. Keep any combustibles at least 12 to 18 inches away from fluorescent light fixtures. Should these fixtures come into contact with any combustible – rags, clothing, paper – they will start a fire.
4. Dump your extension cords. Older shops and especially busy facilities often cope with a shortage of available outlets by utilizing extension cords. You should only use cords that are approved for the equipment they're being plugged into. Check all the cords your shop uses and toss any that aren't approved or can't be verified for use. Never substitute extension cords for permanent wiring.
5. Small appliances, such as space heaters, can be a big fire problem. Is an employee using one in your shop? While it may seem cruel to ban them, set up a usage policy. Consult with your licensed electrical contractor and insurance company.
You need to be just as cautious in your office areas as on your shop floor with electrical issues. A problem in your offices can be just as likely to derail your business.
Step 2: Dangerous fluids
Storing and disposing of the most dangerous fluids in your shop is just one part of dealing with these materials. Problems with fluids, like those from electricity, typically arise from areas you commonly overlook – in this case, either because you're dealing with a small amount or because you're engaging in some unsafe habits that haven't caused any problems yet.
Address these problems first by addressing storage issues. Keep all combustible fluids (and material that have come in contact with them) away from any heat sources. This includes heating vents and appliances and any equipment that emits heat. Heat can cause these materials to undergo chemical changes giving them lower ignition temperatures, which can make them too volatile to work with or store.
Next, properly store materials that have contacted these fluids. Store all soiled uniforms, shop rags and other used cloth materials in closed metal containers. Place shop rags that have been soaked in solvents, like paint thinner, only in approved, self-closing containers.
Limit your supply of combustible fluids. Use nonflammable solvents wherever possible. Keep only a one-day supply of flammable products in work areas. If your shop must store large amounts of dangerous fluids indoors, only store them in approved rooms equipped with explosion-proof electrical fixtures and 24-hour ventilation systems.
One fluid you might want to consider all but removing from your shop is gasoline. It's hyper-combustible and currently has no repair or operational uses that can't be more effectively and safely handled by another solvent.
For gasoline, you should only be concerned with safely transferring it from repair vehicles and safely storing very limited amounts. Transfer gasoline from vehicle fuel tanks before the vehicle enters your facility and before detaching the tank from the vehicle. Transfer gasoline into approved containers outside your shop using a gas caddy; then store it outside in a dedicated, safe area. Never use incandescent utility lights around gasoline. Opt for sealed fluorescent lights.
Step 3: Welding watch
Considering the inherent dangers in welding, it's a wonder that there aren't more accidents attributed to this work. That's a tribute to the professionals who perform it.
Avoiding trouble here starts with a proper education from I-CAR or another professional source where welders learn proper safety techniques. From there, staving off problems is almost entirely about welding in a "safe area" – a clean, open area free of combustible material.
This area needs to be regularly maintained. Shops need to institute rules governing area maintenance and proper welding practices. These rules should mandate:
- Training for employees in the safe operation of welding and firefighting equipment.
- Regular inspections of all welding equipment to ensure it's in proper working order.
- Placement of adequate fire extinguishing equipment nearby.
- Removal of all combustibles because hot sparks can land as far away as 35 feet.
- Keeping floors in the welding area and those surrounding it clean.
No welding should ever be performed adjacent to containers of flammable liquids such as automotive gas tanks. Move such containers out of harm's way.
Finally, shops should assign a "fire watch" to monitor a welding area for 30 minutes following any welding. This may seem like an exorbitant amount of time until you realize that many fires associated with welding don't start immediately after a spark hits a combustible item. Often, these fires smolder until they build up enough heat to spread.
Once that happens, you've got a live fire that can move quickly and consume your shop. You'll want to be particularly watchful of your welding area immediately before closing when no one will be there to put out such a fire. Ever wonder why so many small business fires occur at night long after any work activity has ended? Chalk this phenomenon up to smoldering fires that were first ignored and later had no one nearby to extinguish them.
A business can bounce back from setbacks, but don't expect to. Statistics show that even when small businesses reopen after a disaster many never fully recover and close within five years.
Consider what will happen to your shop if it were seriously damaged and had to close, even for a short time, for repairs. While you're closed, your customers are going to other shops, making your customer someone else's.
This means that when you reopen your business, you're essentially starting over. In this economic climate, do you want to be starting again?
