Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 21 Chapter 2 ∣ Shop Safety and Environmental Protection The proper operation of a dry chemical extinguisher depends on the type of fire. In most cases, direct the stream at the base of the flames. With a Class A fire, continue to direct the dry chemical stream at any remaining burning materials. Many facilities use the acronym PASS to train people to use extinguishers. The letters represent the following: • Pull the unit from the mount and pull the safety pin. • Aim at the base of the flames from the back side of the flame path. • Squeeze the trigger and hold. • Sweep back and forth and side to side, working around the fire until it is extinguished. Many small shops are not inspected regularly by a fire marshal. Inspect your extinguishers regularly and replace them when they are out of date or questionable. During a fire is no time to discover an ineffective extinguisher. Environmental Protection Oil, gasoline, solvents, and other chemicals must be han- dled and stored properly or they can cause damage to the environment. In the past, much damage was caused by the careless handling and disposal of these products. Other sources of pollution are scrap parts, paper and cardboard, plastics, and gases (such as hydrocarbons from a poorly running engine). Motorcycle shops are generators of waste materials. While they do not produce the waste of most automotive shops, preventing the careless disposal of wastes should be a priority in any shop. To protect the environment, practice the three Rs—recover, repair, and recycle. Be sure to recover any hazardous materials, such as used oil and contaminated fuel. Repair any motorcycle that is not operating at peak performance. A poor running engine wastes fuel, increases wear, and increases exhaust pollutants. Recycle all used chemicals and parts that can be rebuilt or have value as scrap. Safety Data Sheets OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to provide employees with information about the health and physical hazards of sub- stances in the workplace. Safety data sheets (SDS) provide product compo- sition and precautionary information for any product that could present a health or safety hazard. These sheets are provided by manufacturers, distribu- tors, and importers and are available free of charge on company websites. See Figure 2-10. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) detail the properties and hazards of chemical products. SDS documents have a standardized 16-section format that provides the following types of information: Section 1. Identification Section 2. Hazard(s) identification Section 3. Composition/information on ingredients Section 4. First-aid measures Section 5. Fire-fighting measures glenda/Shutterstock.com Figure 2-9. Fire extinguishers should be inspected monthly. This extinguisher has an inspection tag, which is designed to be filled out during each inspection. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 2-10. Safety data sheets must be located in accessible areas in the shop.