Whether you’re a professional mechanic or a DIY enthusiast, it’s always important to stay safe when taking care of your vehicle. That’s why many auto shops and car manufacturers require that their personnel wear personal protective equipment (PPE). If you’re at home and want to start working on your vehicle on your own, you similarly ought to put safety at the top of your list. Here’s a list of safety equipment you should have on hand for any automotive repairs you want to try.
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are a must-have to protect your eyes from any stray flying debris. If any of those specks get into your eyes, it could spell disaster for you. Eye damage is no joke, which is why it’s good to have a set of glasses with side shields on hand. Those types of safety glasses are mandatory for auto mechanics for their own good.
Pick up a pair of Performance Tool Safety Glasses so you can keep your eyes safe from those dangerous pieces of debris. These even come in a sleek black frame.
Alternatively, you can buy a whole set of OEMTOOLS Black and Green LED Safety Glasses. These glasses go the extra mile. They have LEDs that can help you inspect your vehicle’s engine while also keeping your eyes safe, and they come in a pack of three.
Gloves
Gloves are another important part of keeping safe while working in the garage. They improve your grip and protect your hands from abrasions, scratches, and corrosive elements coming from different auto parts.
A set of mechanic gloves like the Mechanix Wear Synthetic leather Gloves is reusable, meaning it’s made from durable material and is resistant to things like high temperatures, water, cuts, and corrosive materials. They’re great for heavy mechanic tasks, where you need all the protection you can get.
Alternatively, there are also disposable work gloves like the Gloveplus Maintenance Gloves, which are textured and industrial grade, designed for light maintenance tasks and perfect for extra maneuverability. These gloves aren’t meant for heavier tasks with higher burn or corrosive chemical risks though.
Knee Protection
While most auto repair shops have a lift to ensure their mechanics can work comfortably, your home garage likely does not. Because of this, you might find that you need to spend a good deal of time on your knees depending on the particular project you’re working on. A set of knee protectors is essential in this case. These protectors will lessen the strain on your joints and the rest of your body and support you as you kneel.
Pick up mechanic knee pads like the Mechanix Wear Knee Pad if you want something that’ll stick to you as you walk around your vehicle and your garage. It’s great if you don’t want to reposition your knee protection accessory whenever you need to move. It might be a little cumbersome to walk around with them on, though.
You can also buy an OEMTOOLS Anti Fatigue Kneeling Pad if you’re planning to kneel in one spot for auto repairs for extended time periods. It even has a nice grip to make sure it doesn’t slip as you work.
Other Protective Gear
Of course, there are other pieces of protective gear to consider. These items might not be as necessary to have depending on the types of projects you’re taking on, but it’s good to know about them nonetheless.
Safety Shoes
Mechanics who are on their feet day in and day out need a good set of safety shoes. This is especially true because they’re surrounded by items that can penetrate a normal shoe should they fall from a significant height. Automotive safety shoes have either a steel toe or a composite toe, and they often have slip-resistant soles to combat the puddles of oils and other liquids around the auto shop.
Respirators
Mechanics are exposed to a plethora of hazardous vapors, fumes, and dust. Gasoline and diesel exhaust, solder, and solvents can all cause cancer and terrible respiratory illnesses. That’s why they often have respirators as part of their PPE. Respirators help protect mechanics as they face prolonged exposure to these toxic fumes and debris. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, but worth the extra protection.
In your personal garage, you might want to reach for a simple Hengst Face Mask
to reduce your exposure to harmful fumes. It won’t be as effective as a respirator, but it can help reduce the harmful exhaust particles you inhale while working on your vehicle.
Face Shields
Face shields are an extension to the essential protective glasses. They protect a mechanic’s entire face from stray debris. Grinding, sanding, or riveting are jobs that can easily spray errant pieces of debris onto mechanics’ faces, and so face shields are a useful piece of PPE for them.
Industrial face shields are heavy-duty and built to withstand high temperatures and strong impacts. You can always pick up something like the Weathertech Helmet Face Shield for some partial protection, but don’t use it as a substitute for the proper equipment, especially if you’re planning to do welding.
Hearing Protectors
Being surrounded by equipment that produce loud noises like sanders, running engines, and air compressors day in and day out can damage a mechanic’s hearing over the years. Earplugs and earmuffs are great for preventing this.
Overall, the protective equipment that mechanics use can be useful for the casual auto enthusiast as well. If you plan on getting into the DIY scene and want to start auto repair projects, make sure you’re good and ready by picking up these automotive PPE pieces.
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Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.
