Portable Car Lift Safety Tips

A portable car lift can be extremely helpful in your shop or garage, but safety is always going to be your number one concern. With that said, here are some basic safety tips to keep in mind when operating any type of car scissors lift or other auto lifts.

Naturally, the first thing you will want to tell your shop employees is that the portable auto lift is a serious piece of equipment. You don't want them lifting anything other than a vehicle. And you never want to let anyone sit inside the car or truck as it is being lifted or lowered. Someone could get seriously injured or even killed if the vehicle becomes imbalanced and falls over.

Be sure everyone knows that when a vehicle is sitting up on the lift that they do not rock it back and forth. Although these car lifts are well built, if you get the vehicle rocking back and forth too severely, an accident can happen quickly. That brings up another great safety tip; never stand underneath the vehicle, or have any shop equipment sitting under the vehicle, as it is being raised or lowered.

Stress the importance of raising the vehicle at the stated auto lift manufacturers lifting points for any vehicle. Many accidents occur due to improper lifting points being utilized.

When first beginning to lift the vehicle, go around all four sides to be sure that the lift pads are working as they should with the lift points. You can push on the bumpers to be sure everything is sitting right as well. Once you are sure they are, you can safely lift the car to the needed height to begin work on it.

If you find it necessary to use height adapters, use extra caution. This is not something for a rookie to do without supervision. With portable car lifts, always do periodic inspections of the unit and be sure it is properly greased or filled with oil. Keep a log sheet so that everyone knows when the last time it was inspected.

These are some of the more common safety tips to keep in mind when using car lifts that are portable or stationary. The manufacturer will always provide you with more specifics that you will want to be aware of and follow.