Creating a safer working environment for EV mechanics

Catherine Trask

Associate professor Catherine Trask is Docent in a Technology and Health. Her research experience includes occupational exposure assessment, injury epidemiology, and intervention evaluation. Current research interests include the health effects of workplace discrimination, and adapting interventions to make ergonomics 'best practices' accessible to vulnerable or marginalized groups. 

Catherine's KTH Profile

Electric cars are becoming increasingly common on the roads, and the transition to an electric vehicle fleet is a major part of the green transition. However, according to Trask, there has not been much research into the working environment of electric car mechanics. This is something she and her colleagues now want to remedy. They have conducted a survey of nearly 200 electric vehicle mechanics to find out about their experiences of workplace hazards – how often incidents such as arc flashes and exposure to damaged batteries and chemical adhesives occur.

“We are now conducting follow-up interviews to learn more contextual detail about the adverse events and exposures,” Trask says. “Later this year we will be visiting EV workshops for onsite measurements and risk assessments.”

The biggest risks

So, what are the biggest risks for mechanics working on electric vehicles? It is a little too early to say, but the researchers were surprised to find that potentially life-threatening incidents such as arc flashes were reported more frequently than they had expected. An arc flash is a powerful electrical discharge that travels through the air, for example during a short circuit. It can reach temperatures of several thousand degrees and produce intense light, noise, sparks and dangerous gases.

Trask says that it has also been interesting to see the differences between repairing cars and larger vehicles such as lorries and buses.

“There are still relatively few busses and trucks on the road, but the segment is growing so it is useful to understand and prevent risks as the industry is growing.”

Part of the green transition

The aim of the project is to provide information that helps make workplaces safe for electric vehicle mechanics as part of the green transition. The researchers have collaborated with a reference group comprising industry stakeholders and hope to disseminate their findings through this network. The project forms part of the larger research project “The Working Environment in the Green Transition”, which is funded by Afa Insurance.

“In order for the green transition to EVs to be successful, the whole system needs to be sustainable – things like consumer acceptability and charging networks, but also safe maintenance and repair over the lifetime of the vehicle,” Trask says.

Jon Lindhe ( jlindhe@kth.se )