Unit IG2: Risk Assessment

Part 1: Background

Learner number: 1152 Learner Name: Abdulla Kurupkar

Introduction:

My organization name is A.K.K Car service and maintenance garage, which is based in Mumbai,
India. 80 numbers of employees work here including Mechanics, Store keepers and Helpers.

A.K.K is a garage cum service center. It is a vehicle repair and maintenance center which includes
the work of accidental vehicles as well as the general vehicles which needs Denting, Painting,
Washing, Service, Battery Service, Maintenance and Spare Parts change. Vehicles such as Van,
Car, SUV, MUV, Commercial light weight trucks, etc. got serviced and maintained on daily basis.
All vehicle related works carried out to the public. The Garage operates from 9.00 AM to 7.00 PM
from Monday to Saturday, weekend is off. Workers are asked to work 9 hours per day.

The risk assessment will cover the service unit, Battery service unit and denting painting unit.
The responsible person here is garage manager who further report to the Garage owner.

How I completed Risk Assessment:

I have started the procedure by visiting all units. I have observed the work done by mechanics,
the work of Store keepers as well as work of Helpers, just to observe the hazards related to their
work. I went around the Workshop and the surroundings. I talked to mechanics and other
employees, to know the procedure better.

After observing all the scenarios, I started looking towards the ILO, if they have any codes of
practicing for vehicle maintenance and service workshop. The British GSE website has a resource
‘Health and Safety in motor vehicle repair and associated industries’ (HSG 261).

I went through all the accidental records of past 1year of the mechanics and all other employee
who was available at that time and who leave the job because of any accidental reasons. I checked
the sick pay leaves of the employees to check whether the cases related to the accident at
workplace might be the reason of sickness of the employees. I went through the service records
of the equipment and machineries to make sure if they did any accident or if the equipment and
machineries are safe to use.

I gathered some information from the personal communication to the employees, which wasn’t
as same as the visual inspection of the garage.
Part 2: Risk Assessment

Learner number: 1152 Learner Name: Abdulla Kurupkar

5. Risk Assessment

Organization Name: A.K.K Car Service and Maintenance Garage

Date of assessment: 09/12/2019

Scope of risk assessment: Service unit, Maintenance unit, Battery unit and Denting Painting
unit.

Hazard Who might be What are you What further Timescal Responsibl
category harmed and already controls/actions es for e person’s
and how? doing? are required? further job role
hazard actions
to be
complete
d
(Within…
)
1.Fire and The workers, Proper watch Proper area should be
explosion mechanics and keeping is going built and the area 6 months
people who are on as one must be properly
Battery – available at the mechanic is ventilated for the
charging battery charging always available battery charging unit.
the car unit. in the battery
battery unit. The area must be
An excessive away from any
charging lead to Battery charger is electrical or
the electrolytes protected with mechanical room to 6 months
of the water and MCCB and ensure safety of the
it leads to current stabilizer mechanics, workers
outgassing. I.e. unit. and the people.
emitting
hydrogen and The temperature of Every work
oxygen. If the the battery charging should be
battery explodes area needs to be done by
then there will be stable in order to 8 months Garage
danger to the prevent overheating Manager
workshop and temperature consulting the
property. record must be kept Garage
 regularly. Owner.
In case of battery
explosion, all the The personnel who
worker and work in the battery 2 weeks
surrounding area unit must wear proper
will be in danger. PPE.

The battery parts Provide fire 1 week

will get shattered extinguisher in that
in case of severe unit.
battery explosion,
people as well as Only authorized and
workers can get trained person should immediate
serious injury if enter in the unit.
the part hits
them. The battery charging
machine as well as
cables should be 1 month
properly checked on
regular basis and it
must maintain
monthly.

2. Noise The mechanics The machineries These should be the

and other are properly health checkup in
Excessive personnel who maintained and every 6 months
noise work at garage hence creating including hearing tests 6 months
produced for long hours. limited noise. for all mechanics,
by workers and other
mechanica If the personnel is All machines as personnel.
l activity exposed to 80+ well as workers
as well as DB for the are trained and Proper barriers must Every work
by the prolonged time they are aware of be installed at should be
machineri duration, after noise hazards. appropriate places 6 months done by
es. some years the using sound absorbing Garage
personnel will All mechanics has materials. Manager
suffer from the PPE and they consulting
hearing loss. ware PPE like The noise must be Garage
earmuffs to record regularly by the Owner.
The surrounding prevent noise meter to ensure 1 month
will become noisy themselves from and to control noise as
and the resultant noise hazards. possible.
will be machines
as well as the Carry out noise survey
 workers can’t do in every 6 months. 6 months
a conversation in
a normal way.

Warning or
important
messages can’t
be given verbally
as environment is
noisy.
3. Fire and The welder who Welding and Proper non-flammable
explosion is doing welding Brazing process is screens and partitions
can be harmed by done in a must be installed to 6 months
Welding – the flames as well separate and ensure risk free work.
to weld as by the properly
the rusted ultraviolet ventilated place. Welder must be
parts and radiations. warned to use only
to change Cylinders are flint or piezo electric
it by The personnel properly placed lighter to light up the Immediate Every work
brazing can get burns by in an area which gas cylinder. should be
process. the flames of the is enclosed and Matchsticks or done by
welding. guarded to cigarette lighters must Garage
prevent falling be planned at brazing Manager
The property and rolling. sight. consulting
damage is the Garage
biggest risk in Brazing area is All the fittings and Owner.
brazing process controlled by the hoses must be away
as it can explode proper trained from contaminants 1 week
when leak and in welder and such as oil and grease
the case of hence the to ensure the safety of
temperature personnel property.
increase. records
temperature
Fire can take twice a day to
place if the ensure the
brazing process stability in the
gone wrong or if temperature at
the temperature that particular
rises while area.
brazing the car.
Proper PPE has
Oxyacetylene provided to the
contains two welder to ensure
cylinders and if the safety of his
 they leak it can own.
cause severe
damage to
property and
hence they can
explode.

In case of rise in
temperature the
car parts can be
damaged heavily.

4. The personnel Proper PPE is Provide proper lighting 1 month

Confined can be harmed in provided to the in the service pit.
Space the service pit as mechanic to
it is confined area ensure the Install ventilation
Service and don’t have safety. system with the vents
pits - to proper lighting in in the side walls of the 6 months
work in it. Service pit is pits to vent vapor and
the properly fumes.
service In case of inspected every
pits safely. improper or time before Never drain a petrol
insufficient going or working tank or service LPG
lighting inside it. powered vehicles over Immediate
arrangements the or next to the service
mechanic can get Mechanic is pits.
hurt or injury. properly trained
and competent Avoid work like
In worst cases at to work in the welding or oxy cutting Immediate
the time of car place. inside or adjacent to
service if the leak service pits.
is in the bonnet Mechanic is
or in case of any requested to Provide multipurpose Every work
leakage like come out by hoists and elevated should be
petrol or engine every one hour, ramps of overhead 6 months done by
oil, personnel can to ensure the work, rather than Garage
get suffocated wellbeing of the conventional service Manager
with the fumes of personnel. pit. consulting
petrol or the oil. Garage
Hence, it will Cover pits when not in 2 days Owner.
result in the use.
unconsciousness.
Issue entry permit to
Service pits have the mechanic who
 the poor enter in service pit to Immediate
ventilation which ensure the safety of
can allow confined space.
hazardous
atmosphere to Check the oxygen
develop and percentage before 1 month
hence it will entering the service
result in pit.
suffocation to the
mechanic. Observe the pit and
keep a record by 1 week
checking and doing
atmospheric testing’s.
5. Hazard All the mechanics PPE is available Provide enclosed area
Substance workers and to the mechanics for sanding/grinding 6 months
people who are and persons who operations.
Dust - present in the are visitors like
Increasing area can be dusts masks. Purchase on tool dust
dust or harmed. extraction system to 6 months
high level Visitors have eliminate dust.
of dust Lot of dust is separate area to
around present and sit and to wait to Set up the dilution
maintenan created by eliminate the ventilation system and
ce as well regular activities dust issue and to keep it maintained 6 months
as service in service or maintain their properly time to time.
unit area maintenance. health.
Every work
Cleaning of the Blowers are should be
filters, cleaning of provided to done by
the brake pads as mechanics to Garage
well as cleaning blow dust from Manager
the cabin results their consulting
in high level of surroundings. Garage
dust creations Owner.
hence the high Mouth mask as
level dust can well as face mask
affect the health are mandatory to
of people as well wear.
as the personals.
Vacuum cleaners
People can get are available to
irritant dust on clean the dust.
their skins, it can
suffer from eye Mechanics are
 irritation etc. trained to deal
with the dust
issue.

6. Mainly the Denting and Provide medical health 6 months

Hazardous workers in the painting work is checkup in 6 months.
substance. denting painting carried out in an
area as well as enclosed Workers must be
Spray the person who is separate area. ordered for a nap in
painting. present in that every 4 to 6 hours to Immediate
particular unit ensure safety from the
while spraying Well trained toxic forms.
operations going workers are only
on allowed to do the
particular job.
The personnel
exposed to the External
paint mist could personnel is not Every work
develop allowed in that should be
occupation of area. done by
asthma. Garage
Workers are Manager
Paint stains come ordered to wear consulting
in contract to the the masks Garage
skin and will mandatorily. Owner.
cause rashes and
other skin relater The area is
problems to the properly
personnel. ventilated, the
ventilators has
been installed in
that area.

The machinery as
well as
compressors is
well maintained
and checked by
every 3 months
by the authorized
election or
 maintenance
man.

Temperature
condition is well
controlled.

7. Load The mechanic or The personnel N/A

handling the operator who are well trained
equipmen is doing the work to operate the
t’s. of vehicle hoist hoist easily.
can be harmed.
Vehicle Proper
hoisting Electric shock can maintaince is
operation be created as the going on every 4
for the hoists are months and
maintenan electrically hydraulics are
ce. operated. checked in every
15 days.
The vehicle can
be damaged if Electricals panels
hydraulics failed are properly
to lift and bounce earthed and
the car back on hence it is
floor from the top checked in every
height of the 3 months.
hoist.
The pre-check
Car can slip if it is inspection takes
not attached on it place before the
properly like if it hoist being
is hoisted on the elevated.
inappropriate
area. Lubrication is
done every 15
Failure of lifting days.
equipment can
issue cause
injuries or
fatalities.

8. Work The mechanic The engine is tied N/A

related who is working up to the hoist
upper under bonnet of before mechanic
limb the vehicle. goes under
disorder. bonnet to make
While working him safe while
Working under the bonnet doing engine
under of the vehicle the related work.
bonnets. mechanic can get
cuts, sprain or in The assistant /
severe cases it helper is
leads to severe provided to the
injury. mechanic when
he is under
While lifting the bonnet.
load such as to
push the engines,
changing engine
belt by pulling the
shaft. The
mechanic can
lead to chronic
injury or sprain.

9. The mechanic Equipment that The personnel who is

Working who is working are being used to climbing up has to be
at height on the top as well working on top, given a helper to hold Immediate
as the are serviced and the ladder or any
Working surrounding maintained elevated platform.
on the people property regularly.
elevated as well as The personnel should Every work
platform equipment. Ladders are watch out for the stiff should be
and checked before place to elevate the Immediate done by
working In case of falling using. ladder. That is, the Garage
on the top the personnel will place should not be Manager
of get sprain, slippery. consulting
commerci fractures, internal Garage
al injury, external Work carefully when Owner.
vehicles. injury etc. on the commercial Immediate
vehicles.
If the elevated
platform like,
ladder falls it will
make damage to
people or
 equipment.

10. Slip All the workers The person is Only authorized

and Trip who are working appointed to person should be Immediate
in the workshop. clean the oil or allowed to enter this
Oil spills grease which is area.
and All the people fallen on the Every work
grease who are available workplace. Provide separate area should be
fallen on in the garage to do a job regarding 2 months done by
the floor. area. oil or grease works. Garage
Manager
Personnel will get Provide the ant slip consulting
harm and injured shoes to the 1 week Garage
by the sprain, mechanics. Owner.
head injury, neck,
back, spine injury,
torn tendons or
ligaments, etc. if
the personnel
slips.

Part 3: Priorities three actions and justification for the selection

Learner number: 1152 Learner Name: Abdulla Kurupkar

Three highest priority/most urgent actions:

The actions I am prioritizing are:

1. Provide the enclosed and properly ventilated area for the battery charging unit. ( Hazard category: Fire
and Explosion)

2. Built up or provide the ventilated system with vents in the side walls of the service pits to vapor and
fumes. (Hazard Category: Confined space)

3. Provide on tool dust extraction system. ( Hazard category: Hazardous substance)

A.K.K Garage, has a moral duty to protect all the workers. Our workers come to work to earn, by them we
have the organization they work hard to earn wage. We have the responsibility to not to be put them at
the risk of falling ill, then now and forever. Because of work activities that they carried out regularly some
of the injury or ill-health occurs and sometimes it will have major impact on their health and their family.

There is also a change of going under long term ill health injury and it have a major impact on the lives of
workers and those who are dependable on them, physically or mentally. The family, friends, relatives and
other person related to the worker may suffer the heavy loss.
The mental health of other workers could also be affected with work stress or with other reasons.
Elongated working hours leads to work stress.
The Organization has the responsibility to ensure the safety of mechanics and workers as the ill health
safety can cause drastic impact on their livelihood as well as to their belongings and family members.
Hence, A.K.K Garage has to ensure that employee who work for him do not get injured of suffer ill health.

Accidents cots money and business realize that to maximize profits and to minimize costs, the costs
associated with either needs to be minimized as possible.
Financial impacts could be broken down into three categories:

 Replacement of Equipment and the maintenance of equipment. Car part damaged by mechanics.

 Costs which are related to unusable spare parts as well as the damage done by the worker or
mechanic.

 Sick pay, medical costs and cost associated with the wages of injured workers.

There are requirement that A.K.K need to meet under the ILO convention (C155) and Recommendation
requires employees to make sure that machines are safe to use.

The ILO’s convention (C155) and recommendation (R164) puts on the obligation on the employers to
make sure that the work processes must be safe. The ILO code of practice ‘safety in the use of chemicals
at work’ gives advice to the employers on how to protect workers against risks and it must be identified
using risk assessment.
The ILO code of practice ‘recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases’ obligates to
the employers to report cases of occupational asthma to the country’s health and safety regulator.
The organization also finds that the workers got ill by the work activities and hence result in civil claims.
Some of the civil claims are made years after the worker left the A.K.K garage’s employment. In case of
the any compensation payable of civil claims the legal fees of court or solicitors will be very high.

Likelihood and Severity:

 The likelihood of damage cause from working activities in and around the battery charging unit
area is very high. This is due to batteries are being charged in a congested area in an unventilated
area and hence results in heated surroundings or increase in temperature. Damage will be cause
severely if explode occurs, the personnel as well as the property damage will occur. In some cases
fatal accident can occur.
  The ventilation in the service pits is a serious issue and it is neglected everywhere. It has the
serious tendency to cause harm to the worker. Service pits have no ventilation and hence has
tendency to cause asthma and other breathing related disorders. The fumes of fuel and other
things like coolant, grease, engine oil, etc. can leads to unconsciousness.

 The dust is the major issue. The small dust particle can enter in the body parts and cause harm like
Eye irritation, Asthma, Skin rash, etc. it is the major problem now a days. The large amount of dust
is creating day by day and it needs to be reduced to reduce the health disorder.

Controlling risks:

 Since the battery charging process is carrying out openly, I have recommended to build up the
separate area which should be properly ventilated and it should be away from any electrical or
mechanical room to reduce the risk of overheating. I have recommended to keep the temperature
in control and to check the temperature on regular intervals. I have recommended to add the fire
extinguisher and to provide proper PPE to the worker to reduce the possible risk related to it.

 The Service pit is the confined space area which is the unventilated place. I have recommended to
install the ventilation system with side walls of the pit to vent out the vapor. I have given them the
time span of 6 months to install the ventilation system. I have recommended to not to drain the
petrol tanks or to service the LPG. I have recommended avoiding welding and covering the pits
when not in use. I have recommended to check and to keep record of the pit by doing atmospheric
testing.

 This action will have the major impact on the majority of workforce. I have given the timescale of 6
months to install the on tool dust extraction system. Due to this, there will be reduction in the
amount of dust in the area. The budget needs to be agreed by the Garage Owner.

Part 4: Review, Check and communicate

Learner number: 1152 Learner Name: Abdulla Kurupkar

Review date for the risk assessment and why I have chosen this date:

Company policy is to review the risk assessment at least every 12 months. I therefore set the review date
for 12 months’ time - December 9, 2020

How the risk assessment findings are communicated:

I have arranged the meeting with the Garage manager as well as the garage Owner to go through and
agree the actions in the risk assessment. According to the findings of the risk assessment I kept my point
of view and recommendations regarding the necessary actions that should be taken for the safe system
of work at the Garage. I then arranged the meeting of all the mechanics and helpers in presence of
Garage manager and Garage Owner and I advise them the actions that are to be taken to maintain health
and safety at the garage and to keep themselves and equipment’s, free from hazard.

How to follow-up on the risk assessment to check that the actions have been carried
out:

I will produce the action tracker in excel sheet with all the recommended actions with its due date and
the responsible person. I will talk to the responsible person to know the progress of each of the action. if
any action overdue, I will ensure continuous progress is reached to me. I will find out the reasons why e.g,
it is down to finance or resource issues such as worker time to complete actions. If any action looks like
they are not going to be completed on time I will speak to the Garage Manager as well as the Garage
Owner to know the reason.