Auto Mechanic Injuries - How Many Die On The Job? - Tool Tally (2023)

FAQs

How many mechanics die on the job a year? ›

• Median annual wage: $66,140

Maintenance and repair workers rank among the most dangerous jobs in the United States with a fatal injury rate of 12.5 per 100,000 workers, and those who supervise them are often at even greater risk of serious injury or death with a fatal injury rate of 15.1 per 100,000 workers.

Common Auto Mechanics Work Injuries

Trauma Caused by Heavy Objects – The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that being struck by or against a heavy object or begin caught between equipment is the leading cause of injury and death in the automotive industry.

According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics injury and illness report, automotive mechanics and technicians experienced 13,150 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses resulting in valuable time away from work.

Compared to an office job, mechanic careers are much more physically demanding. You spend much of your day on your feet or in uncomfortable positions when completing repairs. You also typically work routinely with tools and greasy car parts, which is uncomfortable, and often wearing on your hands and arms.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $101,247 and as low as $32,290, the majority of Master Mechanic salaries currently range between $57,500 (25th percentile) to $88,100 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $98,511 annually in Los Angeles.

The average salary for a auto mechanic in California is $49,000 per year. Auto mechanic salaries in California can vary between $20,000 to $105,000 and depend on various factors, including skills, experience, employer, bonuses, tips, and more.

The top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions. Wear and use personal fall arrest equipment. Install and maintain perimeter protection. Cover and secure floor openings and label floor opening covers.

According to recent studies, 80-90 percent of serious injuries are caused by human error.

Slips, trips, and falls

Slips, trips, and falls are some of the most common types of workplace injuries and are the top reason for worker's compensation claims. This includes workers who: Slipped on an icy, oily, or wet floor.

What is the most commonly reported injury in the automotive industry? ›

1) Strains, Sprains, Tears

This is the leading cause of injury for auto mechanics and technicians in the workplace. Overexertion injuries are related to pulling, lifting, pushing, holding, carrying and throwing.

Consistently ranked in the top 10 of professions that cause back pain, the auto mechanic faces unique challenges to maintaining their spines' integrity.

High Job Satisfaction Level

This rings true for most mechanics since they love everything about cars from the way they look to the way they feel and drive. Making repairs to a vehicle is also exciting as you know you are accomplishing it with your own two hands.

Auto Mechanics made a median salary of $46,880 in 2021. The best-paid 25% made $59,950 that year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $35,680.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $41.59 and as low as $12.50, the majority of Auto Mechanic wages currently range between $19.23 (25th percentile) to $28.85 (75th percentile) across the United States.

What are the benefits of being a auto mechanic? ›

Falls kill most construction workers. After falls, which is by far the most common construction fatality, electrocution, falling objects and getting pinched between materials are the next three most fatal types of construction accidents. Heavy equipment is moved on construction sites.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women.

1. Fall Protection. Lack of fall protection remains the top OSHA-reported violation, especially in the construction industry.

While transportation incidents are the leading cause of death in 2021, resulting in 38% of all work-related deaths, they are the fifth leading cause of nonfatal injuries in 2020 (latest data available), accounting for only about 3% of injuries or illnesses involving days away from work.

Slips, Trips & Falls are the Second Leading Cause of Workplace Fatalities.

The OSHA 300 Log requires employers to check one of 6 boxes to categorize the injury/illness: (1) injury (2) skin disorder (3) respiratory condition (4) poisoning (5) hearing loss (6) all other illnesses. There are spaces to record days of job transfer or work restriction, as well as days away from work.

What are the top 5 causes of injuries? ›

This job has an "above average" amount of stress. If you had to grade the stress, it would get a B+ for effectiveness (source). It's going to be a roller coaster ride of stressing and chilling. If you're working for an independent company on commission or are self-employed, you make your own schedule.

“Red flags” include pain that lasts more than 6 weeks; pain in persons younger than 18 years or older than 50 years; pain that radiates below the knee; a history of major trauma; constitutional symptoms; atypical pain (eg, that which occurs at night or that is unrelenting); the presence of a severe or rapidly ...

Is being a mechanic hard on the body? ›

Compared to an office job, mechanic careers are much more physically demanding. You spend much of your day on your feet or in uncomfortable positions when completing repairs. You also typically work routinely with tools and greasy car parts, which is uncomfortable, and often wearing on your hands and arms.

An automotive technician mainly deals with the maintenance and repair of vehicles. However, they may also involve themselves in installing various components of different vehicles. Indeed, the job of an automotive technician is extremely challenging.

There is no legal limit to how long a mechanic can keep your car.

You'll need to be hard-working and reliable and ready to tackle all aspects of your job. Attention to detail: Whether you work on maintenance, diagnostics, or repairs, you'll have to perform those tasks with exacting detail. That is because your careful work on important vehicle components could save someone's life!

Depends, a long term mechanic will work smarter, utilizing mechanical advantage or power tools to help. But your body does get used to the work, the muscles you use most often get stronger.

Technician Job Satisfaction Statistics

40% of technicians agree their favorite part about being a technician is getting to work with their hands. 38% of technicians enjoy using their critical thinking skills. 69% of technicians believe they are experiencing some level of job burnout.

This job has an "above average" amount of stress. If you had to grade the stress, it would get a B+ for effectiveness (source). It's going to be a roller coaster ride of stressing and chilling. If you're working for an independent company on commission or are self-employed, you make your own schedule.

The career experts at Myplan.com surveyed its job-seekers and master auto mechanics scored #104 out of 300 jobs. Of mechanics surveyed, the majority said they were very happy. What is satisfying about working on vehicles? These results may run counter to how you feel about your current job.

How Much Do Auto Mechanic Jobs Pay per Year? $40,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $60,000 is the 75th percentile.

How many calories do mechanics burn? ›

The average person burns 150-200 calories per hour for light car repair tasks such as waxing the car, and 300-400 calories per hour for heavier duty tasks such as body work.

A lot of people think mechanics and technicians aren't very smart. In truth, mechanics and technicians have critical thinking skills and problem solving skills that are better than most people's.

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The number one is accountable for the car – meaning that the front- and rear-end mechanics, the hydraulics and gearbox technicians all report to them. In turn, the number one liaises with race engineer, chief mechanic and the team manager.

In 2020, the average monthly wage of a mechanic was the highest in Germany, amounting to some 3,780 U.S. dollars before taxes and bonuses. The United States came second, with a salary averaging above 3,400 dollars per month. By contrast, Russian monthly wages that same year were under 700 dollars.

Transportation is the highest-paying industry for heavy equipment mechanics in the US.