It’s that time, and for most people who are not very familiar on what to do when you are working on your car and it needs to be lifted off the ground it can become very dangerous and lead to jack stand injuries. To limit any type of injuries at your home or workplace injury, you want to make sure that you never go under a vehicle that is supported only by a jack! You always want to make sure that the vehicle is supported by jack stands when it’s lifted. This will prevent any work place hazards or injuries at home. The following information will be some tips and guidance material to make sure that you lift and support your car safely.
Work With A Friend
It’s always a good idea to have a friend assist you while you are working under a lifted vehicle. Bribing them is also a great way to lure them in to help. Maybe deliver them some flowers, boxed candy, and always their favorite, gift cards to nail salons. They have to have their hands and nails nice after a hard days of work working on cars right? No. Seriously, having a friend male or female there to help assist you with getting tools, helping find parts, or most importantly call 911 if there’s an emergency is the best way to prevent jack stand injuries while working on a lifted vehicle.
Park On Level Ground
Jack stands are made to function vertically, meaning that your car will fall off a jack stand if it’s on a slope or inclined in anyway. Always have your vehicle on level ground when you are lifting your vehicle with a jack stand.
Read the Manuals
All vehicles have suggested jack points, solid suspension, frame points, capacity limits, and safety instructions which should be found in your vehicle manual or your jack stand manual. It is also good to reference if there has been any jack stand recalls on your particular brand or model to prevent further auto injuries or jack stand injuries. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, there are over 4,000 injuries caused by failed jacks. If you don’t have an owner’s manual you try to Google it you may be able to download it for free in most cases or you can buy one. It is worth the investment and your safety if you have to buy one.
Check Each Jack Stand
Your vehicle should not move if you wiggle or shake it, and if there is movement you may have to adjust the jack stand and refer to the owner’s manual for proper adjustments. After you have made adjustments, double check again to make sure that all jack stands are locked and set properly to prevent any injuries when working from home or any work injuries.
If you or a loved one has experienced any type of injury caused by a defective or recalled jack stand don’t hesitate to contact Hilliard Law for a free case consultation on our contact page or give us a call at (361) 882-1612.