A jack stand is a rated, adjustable support placed under a raised vehicle or piece of equipment to hold the load securely after it has been lifted with a jack.
A jack stand is a mechanical support designed to hold a raised vehicle, trailer or piece of equipment securely in place after it has been lifted. Jack stands usually have a wide three- or four-legged base, a vertical column, and an adjustable saddle at the top that contacts the load. The height is locked with a ratchet and pawl, a pin through the column, or a threaded screw, so that the stand holds its position mechanically rather than relying on hydraulic pressure.
The basic safety principle behind jack stands is simple: a jack is a lifting device, not a supporting device. Hydraulic jacks can leak down or fail suddenly, mechanical jacks can slip or tip, and a load balanced on a single small lifting point can shift. Anyone who needs to put any part of their body under a raised load should do so only after the load is resting on properly rated jack stands, blocking or cribbing, never on the jack alone.
Jack stands are used in automotive repair shops, fleet maintenance garages, agricultural and construction equipment service, aviation ground support and home garages. Similar devices, sometimes called equipment stands, axle stands or safety stands, are used for heavier vehicles and machinery.
Being crushed under a vehicle or machine that falls from a jack is a well-known cause of serious and fatal injuries, both in workplaces and at home. It is a classic caught-in or caught-between hazard: once the load drops, the worker has no time to react and no space to escape. Even a small drop can be fatal if a person's head or chest is underneath.
In the United States, jack stands and other portable automotive lifting equipment are covered by the ASME PASE standard (Portable Automotive Service Equipment). The standard addresses design, performance testing, marking and the instructions that must accompany the equipment. Stands should be marked with their rated capacity and manufacturer information. Capacity is often stated per pair of stands rather than per individual stand, so users should read the marking and instructions carefully.
OSHA standards for general industry and construction include requirements for jacks, including marking rated capacity and blocking or cribbing loads. The construction standard for motor vehicles and mechanized equipment requires that heavy machinery or equipment held aloft by slings, hoists or jacks be substantially blocked or cribbed before employees are permitted to work underneath. Employers may also be cited under the General Duty Clause when a recognized hazard, such as working under an unsupported load, is not controlled.
Jack stands have been the subject of product recalls when locking mechanisms were found to disengage under load. Shops and individuals should check whether their stands are affected by any recall and remove recalled equipment from service.
Raise the load slightly with the jack, remove the stands, make sure everyone is clear, and lower the load slowly and under control.
Include jack stands and jacks in a preventive maintenance and inspection program. Store stands where they will not be run over or dropped, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for inspection and replacement.
At a municipal fleet garage, a mechanic needed to replace a brake line on a pickup truck while the shop's vehicle lifts were occupied. He raised the rear of the truck with a floor jack and, to save time, slid underneath while the truck was supported only by the jack. As he worked loose a corroded fitting, the truck rocked, and the jack's saddle slipped off the axle. The truck dropped several inches onto the jack's frame, missing the mechanic's chest by a narrow margin.
The shop treated the event as a serious near miss and investigated it. The investigation found that jack stands were kept in a storeroom at the far end of the building, that the shop had no written rule about supporting raised vehicles, and that pressure to keep vehicles moving encouraged shortcuts. The shop bought additional rated stands and stored them at every bay, adopted a written rule that no one goes under a vehicle unless it is on stands or a lift, added stand inspections to monthly tool checks, and reviewed the event at a shop-wide safety meeting.
No. Jacks are designed for lifting, not for holding a load while someone is underneath. Always transfer the load to rated jack stands or approved blocking before any part of your body goes under it.
Bricks, cinder blocks and scrap wood can crack or crumble without warning and should not be used. Engineered cribbing designed for the load may be acceptable for some heavy equipment, but it must be used according to its ratings.
Check the weight of the vehicle or equipment and the capacity marked on the stands. Ratings are often given per pair, and the stands should be rated well above the portion of the load they will support.
Inspect them visually before each use and more thoroughly on a regular schedule. Remove any stand with cracks, bends, damaged welds or worn locking parts from service.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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