Failing to maintain lifts endangers employees, risks fines

Falling behind on documenting vehicle lift inspections in the service department is dangerous in itself. But it also can expose a dealership to unexpected and hefty fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"If anything happens — an accident, a snap inspection, even a disgruntled employee reporting a violation — the first thing OSHA wants to see is the lift inspection documentation," says Ed Gibbons, fixed operations specialist for Automotive Compliance Consulting Inc. of Crystal Lake, Ill.

"If it's not in order, there can be hefty fines," Gibbons told Fixed Ops Journal. "I've seen fines of $15,000."

Many lifts at dealerships and independent garages are in bad shape. Gibbons finds about a quarter of the lifts he inspects are out of compliance.

"I recently inspected lifts at a large dealership, and I failed 60 percent of them," he says. He did not identify the store.

Even at the majority of dealerships that perform inspections regularly, problems can include missing or improper documentation or inspections performed by people who aren't certified to do so.

That doesn't matter to OSHA, Gibbons says. "That paperwork is the first thing OSHA will ask to review if there's a complaint or injury, even if the injury that brought them there isn't related to the lifts," he adds.

The most common mechanical failures Gibbons finds are loose nuts on floor anchor bolts and broken or missing pins on two-part extension arms.

"The pins that prevent the extension arms from sliding are often undersized for the weight of the part and can shear off during use," Gibbons notes.

"The extension arms can weigh 50 pounds," he says. "If a swing arm falls eight feet onto a technician's foot, it can cause a serious injury."

Another common mechanical flaw is a leaky hydraulic line, so checking for leaks should be part of the daily inspection routine.

"Deal with a leak immediately," Gibbons says. "A bad leak is a potential slip-and-fall situation."

OSHA doesn't directly tally service department injuries. But the annual injury rate for new-vehicle dealerships in general was 3.5 for every 100 full-time-equivalent employees in 2015 — the latest year available — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Labor Department. Almost half of those injured workers needed time off to recover.

Tightening anchor bolts and replacing pins or hydraulic lines are not complicated or costly repairs, but the flaws are easy to miss. OSHA- required annual inspections of lifts are aimed at catching such maintenance lapses.​

Each lift manufacturer sets standards for its own equipment's annual inspection.

The OSHA paperwork includes inspection sheets and logs, along with certificates and stickers to be placed on each lift stating either that it is ready for use or that it is out of commission until a specific problem is fixed.

Follow the OSHA process, Gibbons cautions dealerships.

"Disgruntled former employees know to contact OSHA about a real or perceived safety violation at a dealership, and they know OSHA goes after those complaints with zeal," he says.

Gibbons has been both a dealership service manager and the owner of an independent garage.

He notes that OSHA requires a qualified lift inspector, and staff maintenance employees are not qualified unless they have been trained.

"The essential component is to have a qualified inspector, and the compliance documentation they provide," he says.

He recalled one dealer's tale about a lift manufacturer's maintenance employee who inspected his lifts.

Instead of thoroughly documenting his work, he simply scribbled "inspected lifts" and the day on the receipt. OSHA rejected that documentation, and the dealer said he paid fines.

Separately, the Automotive Lift Institute, an industry trade association, provides lift standards, inspection certification, employee training and a list of certified inspectors.

Although service managers should always be prepared for OSHA inspections, Gibbons says, they should focus first on their employees.

"Don't just worry about OSHA," he says. "Worry about the fingers and toes of the tech who's been working for you for 10 years."