In the hustle and bustle of a dealership, dealerships often overlook safety in the glamour of rapid expansion. The prowl between service bays and showrooms increases the chances of mishaps. But for the dealership, it cannot be out of sight or mind. A strong health and safety checklist for automotive dealers is more than a compliance tool; it’s the foundation of an effective, secure, and successful business. This is where Autosmar Audit comes in with a health and safety checklist for automotive dealerships.
With hydraulic lifts, machines, chemicals, and wet floors, the risk of accidents in an automobile workshop increases. Taking care of your dealership’s technicians, sales team, and even customers is best when followed up by a checklist. But how do you prepare a checklist? This blog clarifies what should be included on your health and safety checklist, the importance of these protocols, and how tools like dealer audit software for safety inspections can make it easier.
Why are Health and safety checklists for automotive dealerships Non-Negotiable?
But before we get to the nitty-gritty of a checklist, it’s essential to recognize what’s at stake without a checklist. Healthy and safety compliance at a dealership is more than just avoiding fines; it goes beyond that. Dealership safety compliance shapes the performance with the OEM and with customers. Health and safety compliance gets to the bottom line of your business and becomes a pillar for your brand reputation.
Financial and Legal Protection
Violating the law through non-compliance can result in punishment by fines, lawsuits, and higher insurance rates.
In today’s regulatory environment, non-compliance is a considerable risk. Regulatory authorities and governments are tightening penalties for rule violations, from hefty financial fines if you don’t follow the workplace safety standards in the automotive industry to the suspension of operating licences. In Saudi Arabia and the GCC, dealerships need to abide by the kingdom’s regulations and compliance laws, including PDPL.
Beyond regulatory fines, failure to comply puts the dealership at risk of civil lawsuits. If an employee or customer is injured on the premises due to negligence, the resulting legal fees and settlements can be financially devastating. In addition, strict health and safety policies are often a condition of insurance coverage; non-compliance can lead to denied claims or higher premiums, directly affecting the dealership’s profitability.
Efficiency of Operations
With a safety and health checklist, make sure the safety protocols are followed properly. Technicians can work faster and more efficiently without the risk of incidents when tools are correctly stored, spills are quickly cleaned up, and equipment is adequately taken care of.
A Standard Car Dealership Checklist
It can be overwhelming to develop a complete health and safety checklist for automotive dealerships yourself. At Autosmart Audi, we have multiple checklist templates, demo software, and sample health and safety checklists for you to test. Our checklists are also customizable. But what do you write in a checklist? In accordance with industry standards and generic audit plans, these are the main areas your checklist must address.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Compliance
The first defense against accidents is the equipment or machines that your team wears. Your automotive safety audit checklist must inquire if all required PPE, like gloves, goggles, steel-toe boots, and respirators, are easily accessible for every staff member.
Verifying Compliance: Are you monitoring to verify if employees actually wear PPE during each repair job? Buying the gear is not sufficient; it has to be worn, and this should be enforced by management.
Emergency Preparedness and First Aid
Accidents happen, and your reaction time matters most. You might have safety supplies in surplus, but no one would be using them. First aid kits are a must in factories and repair zones. It’s also crucial that the products in the kit aren’t expired.
Fire exits and extinguishers aren’t negotiable in dealerships. Even if something unfortunately goes wrong, you need a mapped emergency exit on the floor plan. Making sure your employees are well versed with the location of the exits, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers.
Ventilation
Exposure to fumes and chemical vapors in a closed shop is a dormant menace. Successful air quality management demands two types: general ventilation to provide new air, and, crucially, source-capture extraction systems that fit over the tailpipes of vehicles during engine testing. Without these exact steps, every day’s exposure to carbon monoxide and benzene causes instant brain damage and extreme emphysematous lung disease. And besides the clear and visible human cost, poor ventilation makes for a big fat legislative bull’s-eye, adding that losing these kinds of lawsuits could easily turn into those jobs on workers’ comp bills in the event of future chronic occupational illness.
Chemical Handling and Storage
This is one of the most frequently cited areas for violations. Chemicals used in repair need extreme care and careful handling.
Proper chemical handling is a key to safety at the dealership. With all of the many volatile substances, including oils, transmission fluids, brake cleaners, solvents, and battery acids processed by a dealer’s service department every day, it makes sense to have an established plan for securing them. Storage has to be more than orderly; it must also involve the strict separation of incompatible substances in order to prevent hazardous reactions, and the use of secondary containment devices like bunded pallets that capture any spills before they can contaminate a drainage system. Failure to adhere to these procedures not only puts the labor force at risk but also opens an organization to heavy fines incurred by environmental pollution, especially in cases where harmful drainage spills into public waters.
The Role of Dealership Audit Software in Automotive Dealerships
In the past, safety audits were done with clipboards and paper forms. This system can be unreliable, paperwork gets lost, and some staff check boxes without inspecting properly. That’s where our dealer audit management software comes in. Our audit tools can transform how you handle compliance.
Real-Time Data: Managers can see results instantly. If a fire extinguisher has expired, the software flags it immediately.
Photo Evidence: Auditors can take photos of violations (like a blocked exit) and attach them as proof.
Trend Analysis: Over time, software highlights recurring issues, allowing for targeted training.
Accountability: Digital logs are more complex to falsify than paper ones, ensuring genuine audits.
Why Choose Autosmart Audit’s Checklists?
A single audit is just a snapshot; a regular audit schedule is a full-length story about your dealership’s safety culture. Routine audits keep standards high, even during busy seasons when safety might be overlooked; mandatory checks force teams to pause and reassess. Plus, frequent audits prepare you for surprise inspections, turning a stressful event into a routine one.
A rigorous health and safety checklist for automotive dealerships for auto dealers is an investment in the future of your business. It helps shield your company from costly liability by focusing on key areas such as PPE, chemical storage, and emergency preparedness, and by using our audit management software for whole factory audits.
FAQs
What should be included in a health & safety checklist for car dealerships?
In an automotive dealership’s health and safety checklist, personal protective equipment (PPE), first aid kits, maintenance, emergency signage, fire safety equipment, and other safety equipment are included.
How often should dealerships conduct safety audits?
A daily safety check is usually conducted to ensure safety, but formal safety audits are conducted monthly. Safety drills are mostly done annually or quarterly as required by local authorities.
Why is safety compliance substantial in automotive workshops?
Compliance is essential to keep employees safe and prevent workplace injuries. It also helps protect the dealership from legal fines and insurance rates. A clean, safe workshop operates more efficiently and projects a professional image to customers.
Can dealer audit software improve safety inspections?
Yes, Autosmart Audit’s dealer audit software , which includes safety inspections, dramatically enhances the process by eliminating paperwork, allowing photo evidence of non-compliance, ensuring accountability through digital logs, and providing data analytics to spot recurring safety risks.
