Training and employer requirements

• Information in training programs for wheel servicing must be presented in a way that all employees can understand.
• Employers have multiple responsibilities to ensure that their facilities and their workers are prepared for wheel servicing.

All general industry employers are required to have a training program in place for wheel servicing. This program should include information about hazards and safety procedures for employees who service rim wheels. The program should also include sharing the information on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wheel charts, rim manuals, and its 29 CFR 1910.177 regulations covered in this checklist. Note: Charts are required to be posted in the lab or shop.

If employees cannot read or understand the charts or rim manuals, the information must be conveyed in a manner they can comprehend. Employees who service rim wheels must demonstrate that they can work on these wheels safely. They should be able to demonstrate acceptable performance if they can:

• Understand and use OSHA’s charts,
• Deflate and demount tires,
• Identify rim wheel components and inspect for defects,
• Inflate tires with a restraining device/safeguard,
• Mount tires safely,
• Use the restraining device or barrier and other equipment required by OSHA,
• Inflate a tire on a single-piece rim wheel mounted on a vehicle,
• Safely handle rim wheels, and
• Remove and install rims.

An imperative part of the training is that employees understand the trajectory should the tire fail when being inflated and when the wheel is inspected following inflation. They should know where to stand to be outside of that trajectory.

Employees who service rim wheels must be individually evaluated on their ability to perform these tasks and service rim wheels safely. If anyone is not proficient in servicing rim wheels, that worker must be provided additional training and be re-evaluated. Employers are required to only allow successfully trained employees to service rim wheels.