Also commonly known as inspection pit, service pit, maintenance pit or mechanical pit, the garage pit is the historical work tool that we all know. We all have a more or less precise idea of what a pit is. For many, it is just a simple "hole" that allows us to pass under a vehicle, whether it is a truck, a utility vehicle, a car, a construction machine or a bus, to carry out routine and quick maintenance operations, or for private use at our garage or at our technical control centre.
In (not so...) ancient times, it was enough to dig this "simple hole" with a base, four concrete walls decorated with a lighting of more or less good quality (even a simple hand lamp...) and in the best of the cases of a network of compressed air and electric plugs. These pits, not secured, have been for a long time a favourable ground for work accidents, far too frequent, too numerous and often very serious. Talk about it around you, everyone will have at least one unfortunate story to tell you...
Today, fortunately, the construction of a workshop and more particularly of its pit, whether it is for emptying, general maintenance or maintenance, requires a thoughtful and rigorous design in order to offer a totally safe working space to its users and to the various people circulating in the workshop.
Your pit must meet the requirements and recommendations of the French Health and Pension Insurance Fund (CARSAT), the Ministry of Labour and Transport and the 2006/42/CE machine directive..
Have you consulted the recommendations R468 and R469 of the NIRS (National Institute for Research and Safety) ?
They are crucial for the good design of your pit. You may say that many of these requirements are just recommendations? You are right, but they are really essential, very useful and for some mandatory!
We know of many shops that have had to redesign or even re-build their pits before they could use them. Even worse, some of our customers have been refused the opening of their shops because their pits did not meet the technical design recommendations for safety and comfort at work. The absence of a suitable pit closure system (cover) remains the main reason for delay or refusal to open.
So, how do you build your garage pit while respecting all these design rules?
We will answer you in this next paragraph... Read more...
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