Independent guides for engine-powered equipment

Equipment Safety Notice

Engine-powered equipment is safe when used as the manufacturer intended and dangerous when it is not. This page summarizes the hazards that come up again and again in our articles. It is a summary, not a complete safety course, and it never replaces the manual for your equipment.

Carbon monoxide

Every engine produces carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell that can kill in minutes. Run generators, pressure washers, pumps and other engines outdoors only, at least 20 feet from buildings, with the exhaust pointed away from doors, windows and vents. Never run an engine in a garage, basement, shed, carport or tent, even with doors open. Fit carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup on every level of your home. If anyone feels dizzy, sick, weak or confused near running equipment, get into fresh air and call 911. See generator safety.

Fuel and fire

  • Shut down and let engines cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on a hot engine can ignite.
  • Store fuel in approved containers, outside living areas, away from furnaces, water heaters and anything with a pilot light or spark.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher rated for flammable liquids where engines and fuel are kept.
  • Follow local limits on how much fuel you may store. See how long gasoline lasts.

Electricity

  • Never connect a generator to house wiring through a wall or dryer outlet. Use extension cords to appliances or a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician. See how to connect a generator to your house.
  • Keep generators and electric tools dry, use outdoor-rated cords in good condition, and use GFCI protection outdoors and in damp places.
  • Have 240 V circuits for compressors, welders and similar equipment installed by an electrician.

Pressure

  • A pressure washer jet can cut skin and inject water into the wound. Never point a wand at anyone, wear eye protection, and keep both hands on the wand.
  • Compressed air tanks are pressure vessels. Drain them regularly, test the safety valve, and never weld, patch or modify a tank. Never aim compressed air at skin.
  • Propane cylinders should be stored upright, outdoors or in a ventilated space, and checked for leaks with soapy water, never with a flame.

Moving parts, heat and noise

  • Disconnect the spark plug lead before working on blades, belts or any part that could move.
  • Mufflers and exhausts stay hot long after shutdown.
  • Wear hearing protection around engines and compressors, and safety glasses for almost everything.
  • Keep children and pets away from running equipment.

Lifting and working under vehicles

Use a jack rated for the load to lift and rated jack stands to support. Never work under a vehicle held only by a jack, chock the wheels, and work on a level, solid surface.

Know your limits

Electrical work on your home, fuel-system repairs, work on pressurized systems and anything you are not confident about are jobs for qualified people. The cost of a professional is small next to the cost of getting it wrong.

Further reading: the CPSC Carbon Monoxide Information Center and Ready.gov.