Vehicle lifts, shop safety and the dreaded OSHA visit

Editor's Note: This article was orginally published Jan. 7, 2019. Some of the information may no longer be relevant, so please use it at your discretion.

Were your shop visited by an OSHA inspector, as a fining agency, the OSHA inspector can issue citations for a number of items they observe in the garage. Being proactive about vehicle lift safety is an important step to being prepared.

Were an incident to occur, an OSHA inspector would ask the shop owner three basic questions:

1. What did you know?
2. When did you know it?
3. What did you do about it?

There are a number of items any shop manager can do to be proactive about vehicle lift safety.

1. Buy ALI certified lifts. The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is the organization setting the standard for lift safety. As such, lifts are certified to one, and only one, nationally recognized American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standard. Additionally, all options used with lifts must also be ALI certified, as use of a non-certified option will void the certification of the lift.
2. Make sure your lifts are inspected annually by an experienced lift inspector. The ANSI has established the rules an OSHA inspector will reference. The ANSI standards states that vehicle lifts must be inspected annually.
3. Always lower a lift onto the mechanical load holding device. A lift's safety locks are in place for a reason. Use the locks. You'd never use a jack without also using a jack stand, so why would anyone use a lift and not lower the lifts onto the mechanical locks? Some manufacturers offer visual assurances that the lift is lowered onto the locks. Known as a weight gauge, pressure gauge, a digital display or lock light, these devices clearly show that the lift has been lowered onto the locks, and some show the vehicle's weight.
4. Train your technicians annually on the proper use of vehicle lifts. While an experienced technician may laugh when asked the last time they've been trained, were the OSHA inspection to note that there has been no technician training, this too could lead to additional fines. Technician training can take place online at autolift.org.

Think of a lift as you do the vehicles you service - maintaining them will keep the lift safely operating, will minimize any bay downtime and, most importantly, allow your technicians to safely return home nightly to their families.

Information provided by: Mohawk Lifts