Trade Secrets

Motor, Dec 2004 by Cerullo, Bob

Service techs and advisors aren't the only ones who require training. Forward-thinking owners and managers make sure they're prepared to handle the unexpected.

The "boss" in most unto repair shops is quite like the captain of a Ashing boat. He's involved with or at least responsible for everything that goes on, from greeting customers to pulling steel splinters out of a technician's finger. One moment he might be discussing a trouble code and the next he might be trying to stop the bleeding.

If reasonable caution is exercised, automotive repair shops should be pretty safe places to work. But bad things still can and occasionally do happen. The ability to calmly and correctly handle an emergency can make all the difference. I'm not a doctor, but I'd like to tell you about several unplanned events that took place in my shop.

Recently, I had one of my techs-I'll call him "Stonehead"-working under a big old International plumbing supply company truck installing a new clutch. He was on a creeper because the truck was just too big for us to lift and there was plenty of room to roll underneath to reach the clutch.

I was involved at the other end of the shop about 100 feet away from Stonehead when he let out a bloodcurdling scream. I dropped what I was doing and ran over there. By that time, Stonehead was out from under the truck and running toward me, his head wet with blood-a lot of it. His hands also were covered with blood and his shirt collar was saturated. As I ran, I yelled to one of the other techs to call 911. To another I shouted, "Get the first aid kit from the office."

Since I knew Stonehead had been installing a clutch, the possible causes of his injury raced through my mind. Had he started the truck and been hit by the teeth of the flywheel? Or maybe the pressure plate blew apart and conked him. The one thing that struck me as strange was that he did not seem to be in any pain and was not turning white or beginning to lose consciousness. In fact, he joked with me that I'd probably have to put a tourniquet around his neck.

I put Stonehead in a chair and looked at his head. I couldn't see the wound because of all the blood-soaked hair. Finally, I was able to find the source of the blood. It was a small cut about an inch long. Stonehead had cut his scalp on a bolt sticking out from a tailpipe hanger. (Some of his hair was still stuck to the bolt!) He hadn't even noticed he was bleeding until some of the blood found its way into his eyes. By the time the EMTs arrived, the bleeding had stopped, from the finger pressure I applied to the cut. Stonehead was feeling pretty good after a while and, truth be told, seemed to be enjoying all the attention.

Another time one of my techs was replacing brake shoes and, instead of using the correct tool, was snapping off brake return springs with needle-nose pliers. "Lucky" (not his real name, either) had slipped with the pliers and jammed it into his eye. He came to me asking for eyewash and I asked him what had happened. Lucky said it was nothing, and he'd be fine. As soon as I heard what happened, I made him hold his head back and asked one of the other techs to get the shop pickup truck. I had Lucky lie on his back in the bed of the truck while I steadied his head. I yelled to one of the guys to call Dr. Frelich, an eye: surgeon customer of ours, and tell him we were on the way with Lucky. Dr. Frelich later told me that Lucky could have lost sight in his injured eye if he had remained upright and continued to work that day.

Over the years I've had to deal with burns, cuts, bruises and even a slab wound, which occurred in the shop during an argument between two technicians. More than once a customer has started to pass out from diabetic shock, and I saved the situation by having him drink some orange juice. But the incident I remember most vividly is the one where a fellow staggered through the big door and collapsed on the floor. There was blood dripping out the sleeve of his baseball jacket, and he appeared to be going into shock. I cradled his head as he lay on the door. Two police officers arrived very soon after that with guns drawn, evidently in pursuit of this guy. When I asked them if they had called an ambulance, they said I shouldn't waste any time with this fellow to wait for the "bus." (In New York City, an ambulance is commonly referred to by cops, firefighters and EMTs as a "bus.") It seems he had been shot by a homeowner down the street whose house he was hying to burglarise. The oops said he pushed in the wrong door at the wrong time and was greeted by Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson.

I wasn't going to just stand by and let the fellow bleed to death, so I slipped oil his jacket so I could get a better look at the source of the blood. One of my guys had already brought the first aid kit with gauze bandages. I started to apply hand pressure to the wound, then remembered something I was taught as a medic in the Army: Before you treat an entry wound, look for an exit wound. Sure enough, there was a much larger hole in the back of the guy's upper arm. The bullet had made a neat entry hole about a half-inch in diameter but had gone straight through, creating an exit wound more the size of a silver dollar. I applied pressure, but no tourniquet, until the EMTs took over. You use a tourniquet only as a last resort. If you use a tourniquet for an extended period of time, the limb most likely will be lost.