Shop Opening & Closing: the full procedure

Open and close the shop in a fixed sequence so equipment, bays, vehicles, and the building are safe and secure each day.

• Applies to: Opening and closing technician or shop lead.
• Frequency: Every business day, at open and at close.
• Scope: Covers unlocking/alarm, powering up the compressor and equipment, bay and lift readiness, end-of-day shutdown, compressor tank drain, and securing vehicles, keys, and the building. An internal operational routine, not a regulated procedure.

What you need

• Keys
• Alarm code
• Opening / closing checklist
• Compressor drain valve
• Key lockbox

The procedure, step by step

1. Unlock & disarm — Unlock the building, disarm the alarm, and turn on lighting; note anything unusual or signs of tampering.
2. Power up compressor & equipment — Start the air compressor and bring up lifts, tire machines, and balancers, confirming each powers on normally with no warning lights or leaks.
3. Ready the bays & lifts — Walk each bay for clear floors, confirm lifts are fully lowered or locked, and verify the daily lift check is done before the first vehicle.
4. Open for business — Unlock the customer entrance, set up the front counter/POS, and confirm phones and systems are live.
5. End-of-day equipment shutdown — Power down lifts, tire machines, balancers, and shop equipment per their procedures and turn off non-essential power.
6. Drain the compressor tank — Open the compressor receiver drain valve at the lowest point to remove accumulated water and oil, then close it once drained.
7. Secure vehicles & keys — Park and lock customer vehicles, lower all lifts, and store every key in the locked key box — no keys left in vehicles or on counters.
8. Lock up & arm — Switch off lights, lock all doors and bay doors, arm the alarm, and confirm the building is fully secured before leaving.

Quality check before you finish

• Alarm disarmed at open / armed at close.
• Compressor and equipment power-up confirmed.
• All lifts lowered or locked, bays clear.
• Compressor receiver tank drained at close.
• All customer vehicles parked and locked.
• All keys in the locked key box.
• All doors and bay doors locked, lights off.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Tire Shop business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• OSHA 1910.169 — Air Receiver Low-Point Drain (osha.gov)
• ANSI/ALI ALOIM — Lifts Lowered/Locked & Pre-Use Checks (autolift.org)