Department: Field Operations

Policy Purpose: To establish mandatory safety protocols for positioning the service vehicle and securing the work zone. A technician’s life and safety are always the priority. No battery replacement is worth risking a collision or injury.

1. Assessing the Location (The "Abort" Criteria)

Before you even put your vehicle in park, you must evaluate the customer's location. We do not service vehicles in active traffic lanes.

• Safe Work Zones: Driveways, parking lots, residential streets, and wide highway shoulders where the customer's vehicle is completely clear of the white line.

• Unsafe Work Zones (Do Not Service): Left-hand median shoulders, blind curves, the crest of a hill, or any shoulder where the customer's vehicle is encroaching on a live lane of traffic.

• The Action: If the location is unsafe, pull your service vehicle safely ahead, call the customer, and instruct them: "For both of our safety, I cannot legally or safely work on the vehicle here. You will need to contact a tow truck to move the vehicle to the next exit or a safe parking lot, and I will meet you there to complete the installation." ### 2. Service Vehicle Positioning (The "Fend-Off" Position)

  Your approved service vehicle (pickup, van, or SUV) is your primary physical shield against oncoming traffic.

• The Setup: Always park behind the customer’s vehicle, leaving roughly 10 to 15 feet of space between your front bumper and their rear bumper. This gives you room to access your tools and walk safely.

• The "Fend-Off" Angle: Turn your steering wheel completely toward the grass or shoulder (away from the live lane of traffic). If your service vehicle is rear-ended by a distracted driver, this ensures your vehicle is pushed off the road, rather than straight forward into you and the customer's car.

• Visibility: Activate your four-way hazard lights immediately. If you have a company-approved amber light bar or strobes, activate them.

3. Setting the Safety Perimeter

You must create a visual barrier so approaching drivers move over before they reach you.

• High-Visibility Gear: Before stepping out of your cab, you must put on your reflective Hi-Vis safety vest over your standard green uniform.

• Cone Placement: Deploy a minimum of three high-visibility traffic cones or flashing LED triangles.

  Place the first cone approximately 50 feet behind your service vehicle, near the edge of the live lane.

  Place the second cone 25 feet behind your vehicle.

  Place the third cone directly behind your driver-side rear taillight to guide drivers around your workspace.

4. Working Safely on the Shoulder

Your situational awareness must remain high throughout the physical installation.

• The "Non-Traffic" Side: Whenever possible, access your tools, place your battery, and stand on the side of the vehicle furthest from traffic (usually the passenger side).

• Keep Your Head Up: Do not get completely tunnel-visioned into the engine bay. Periodically check over your shoulder for drifting vehicles.

• Customer Placement: Never allow the customer to stand between your service vehicle and their car, or on the traffic side of the vehicle. Instruct them to sit inside their car or stand safely on the grass/sidewalk away from the road.

5. Parking Garages & Residential Lots

While safe from high-speed traffic, urban and residential parking situations present their own unique hazards.

• Clearance: Underground parking structures often have low ceilings. Before opening the customer's hood (especially on large SUVs or trucks), ensure you have enough vertical clearance so the hood does not strike overhead pipes or concrete beams.

• Pedestrian Traffic: Treat busy shopping center parking lots with the same caution as a roadway. Use your cones to block off the space directly adjacent to your work area to prevent other shoppers from pulling in too close while you are working.