Environmental Health and Radiation Safety

Car Smash Guidelines

Prior to the vehicle being brought on campus and towed to the site, the vehicle must be prepared as follows:

• All fluids must be removed before vehicle is brought on campus. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Coolant, gasoline/fuel, washer fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, automatic/manual transmission fluid, etc.
  • Gasoline/fuel tanks must be removed
• All batteries must be removed
• All glass and mirrors must be removed
• All air bags must be removed, if so equipped
• Mercury switches, if any, must be removed
• Refrigerant from air conditioner (if so equipped), must be removed

Event Site Preparation

The vehicle to be smashed must be located in an appropriate area as follows:

• Site of the event must be on paved area.
  • Site must allow clear and free access to the vehicle to be smashed and should not obstruct traffic flow to other parts of campus.
  • A minimum perimeter of 20 feet must be maintained around the entire vehicle.
  • No people will be permitted within 20 feet of the car except the participant.
  • A perimeter area located 20 feet from the vehicle must be cordoned off with barrier tape except an
    opening for participants to enter through to gain access to the vehicle.
• Vehicle should not be near storm drain, so that no residual fluids have potential to flow into storm drain.
• The car should be placed on a single sheet of heavy duty polyethylene sheeting (e.g. 6-mil) to prevent any remaining vehicle fluid droppings from spilling to the ground.
• Vehicle wheels should be chocked to prevent unexpected movement.

Personal Protection Equipment

All participants must wear the following personal protective equipment (PPE). Failure to wear the personal protective equipment will prevent them from participating.

• Heavy duty leather work gloves.
• Safety goggles.
• Closed toe shoes must be worn (sneakers are acceptable). No opened toe shoes (e.g. sandals, flip flops) or bare feet are permitted.

Fire Response and Spill Prevention

• One 10 lb ABC multipurpose fire extinguisher shall be located within the cordoned off area, in the event of a fire.
• One bag of oil-dri (or kitty litter) shall be present in the event of a vehicle fluid spill

Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer(s) to be used for the event must be intact and safe meeting the following requirements:

• The head of the sledge hammer must be flat on both ends. No edged or axed ends are permitted.
  • It is recommended that the handle of the sledge hammer be made of fiberglass or composite material, as wooden handles are more likely to break.
  • Sledge hammer must be in good physical shape and head must be tight. Sledge hammer must be checked and inspected periodically during the event (e.g. every participant) to check for integrity. Damaged sledge hammers must be removed from the event.
  • It is recommended that sledge hammers not weigh more than 10 pounds.
  • Participants must not be allowed on any part of the vehicle at any time. Feet must remain on the ground at all times.

Conclusion of Event

After the car smashing activity:

• Arrangements must be made to remove / tow the vehicle off campus immediately following the event for legal and proper disposal.
• The ground area around and underneath the vehicle must be surveyed for pieces that may have broken off during the event. Any pieces should be placed back into the vehicle prior to removal from campus. Area must be swept clean.
• The plastic sheeting under the vehicle should be inspected for automotive fluids.
• If free of automotive fluids, the plastic sheeting may be disposed of into the trash.

University of Toledo Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (419-530-3600) shall be contacted regarding disposal of residual automotive fluids or spill cleanup debris.