Safety briefing & waiver

Read this before you go under a car.

Everybody who touches a vehicle, a tool, or a set of lift controls in our building reads the same eight rules and signs the same release. Owner, helper, brother-in-law who came to hold the light — same document, no exceptions.

  • ~3 minRead the briefing, tick each line, type your name.
  • 12 monthsOne signature covers a year of visits.
  • Before you arriveNot on a clipboard at the door with the bay clock already running.
Go straight to signing
Signed one in the last year?

Then you are already covered — a waiver runs for twelve months and your booking will show it as on file. Nothing here to do twice.

Book a bay

Placeholder language — not yet reviewed by a lawyer

The release printed on this page is competent draft text written to cover the right ground. It has not been reviewed or approved by a Michigan attorney, and it must be before Hoist Hub takes a single booking. The safety rules above the release are real operating rules and apply from day one; the legal wording underneath them is a working draft the owner will replace.

Owner to-do — attorney review outstanding

01 — The briefing

Eight rules. The ones that actually hurt people.

Not a list of everything. A list of the things that put someone in an ambulance if they are ignored. Read them properly — the signature below stays locked until you tell us you have.

A lift arm and rubber pad set under a vehicle's pinch weld.
This is the only place the arms go. The pad sits square under the manufacturer's lift point — never on the floor pan, never on a rusted sill, never on a suspension component. If yours is rotten or you cannot find the point, stop and get us. We would far rather look at it with you on the ground than pick the car up off the floor.

  1. Never go under a vehicle that is not on its locksCritical

    Raise it past the height you want, then lower it onto the mechanical locks and listen for both sides to seat. Hydraulics hold a car. Locks hold a car when the hydraulics do not. If you did not hear two clicks, it is not on the locks and you do not go under it.

  2. You set the arms. We check them before it goes upCritical

    You place the pads at the factory lift points because you know your car. A member of staff walks the four corners and clears it before the wheels leave the ground. Once the car is in the air, nobody repositions an arm — it comes down first, every time.

  3. Do not touch the lift controls

    One person owns the bay: the person named on the booking, on their own vehicle. Helpers, friends and passers-by do not raise, lower, or "just nudge" anything. If the car needs to move and the owner is under it, come and find staff.

  4. Everyone stands clear while it moves

    Nobody under it, nobody beside it, nothing left on top of it. Watch the pads for the first six inches from arm's length — that is when a badly-set arm tells you it is badly set — then stand back for the rest of the travel.

  5. Closed-toe shoes. Every visit, no argument

    We will turn you away at the door in sandals and it will not be personal. Brake rotors, sockets and drain plugs all land in the same place. Long hair tied back, no loose sleeves or dangling lanyards near a rotating wheel.

  6. Do not work alone under a car

    Somebody stays in the bay while you are underneath — a helper, or us. If you are booked in on your own, say so when you arrive and staff will keep eyes on your bay. This is the rule people talk themselves out of, and it is the one that matters most when something goes wrong.

  7. If anything moves, shifts, or makes a noise you did not cause — get outCritical

    Do not investigate it from underneath. Walk out from under the car, then find staff. That is the entire procedure and there is nothing clever after it. Nobody has ever been told off here for coming out from under a car.

  8. Tell us before you take serious weight off the car

    Pulling an engine, a transmission, a differential or a fuel tank changes the balance sitting on those four arms. So does a full set of wheels off with a jack under one corner. Tell staff first and use stands — a car that was stable on the way up may not be on the way down.

What we are, and what we are not. We rent space and equipment. Nobody at Hoist Hub diagnoses your fault, advises on your repair, or supervises your work, and nobody touches your vehicle except to set and clear the lift. That boundary is what keeps the rate low and the bay yours — and it means the judgement calls under the car are genuinely yours.
Not in our bays, ever. No welding, no paint or spraying, no fuel-tank work, no A/C refrigerant service, and no running the engine at height. Under-18s are welcome in the building with you, outside the bay lines — they do not go under a raised vehicle and do not work at the tool wall.

Acknowledge the briefing to unlock the signature

Ticking this opens the signing form at the bottom of the page.

Placeholder
Safety video not installed yet There is deliberately no video here rather than a fake one. The owner drops the real file in at the path below and this frame becomes the player. assets/video/safety-briefing.mp4

02 — Safety video

Three minutes, filmed in our own bay

When it is shot, it will run here, above the release, and it will show the same eight rules happening on a real car rather than described in a paragraph. Until then, the written briefing is the briefing, and every first-time customer gets walked through the same points at the bay before their vehicle goes up.

  • Setting the arms at four factory lift points, including a rusted sill that fails
  • Raising to the locks and hearing both sides seat
  • Where to stand, and where nobody stands
  • Coming out from under a car properly when something is wrong
  • Where the shut-off, the first-aid kit and the extinguisher live

Shot list and production notes for this are in the site README, alongside the photography the illustrations stand in for.

03 — The release, in full

The document you are signing

All of it, on the page, scrollable — not behind a link and not in six-point grey. Read it now or print it; you are agreeing to this exact text.

Draft text. A Michigan attorney has not reviewed this. It is written to cover the right subjects — assumption of risk, release, indemnification, property, impairment, minors and photography — so the owner's lawyer has something to work from. It is not legal advice and it has no professional review behind it yet.
Release of liability & assumption of risk — draft v0.1 Unreviewed

Parties and scope

This agreement is between Hoist Hub LLC ("the Company", "we", "us"), operating a self-service vehicle bay facility at Waterford, MI, and the individual signing below ("you"). It applies to every visit you make to the premises for twelve months from the date of signature, and to every person you bring with you who has signed their own copy.

You are renting time, floor space and equipment. You are not purchasing a repair, an inspection, a diagnosis, or supervision, and no employee or agent of the Company will perform work on your vehicle beyond setting and clearing the lift.

Assumption of risk

You understand that working on a motor vehicle, in and around a raised vehicle, and with powered and hand tools is inherently dangerous, and that some risks cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken by anyone. Those risks include, without limitation:

  • a vehicle falling, shifting, or being incorrectly supported
  • failure, misuse or misapplication of a lift, jack, stand, or lifting adapter
  • components under spring tension, hydraulic pressure, or fuel pressure
  • hot surfaces, exhaust gases, battery acid, refrigerant, solvents and used fluids
  • high-voltage systems in electric and hybrid vehicles
  • slips, trips, falls, cuts, crush injuries, burns, and eye injuries
  • the acts and omissions of other customers on the premises

You accept these risks knowingly and voluntarily, and you accept them for yourself. You confirm you are physically able to perform the work you intend to do, and that you are not relying on the Company to judge whether you are.

Release and waiver of claims

To the fullest extent permitted by Michigan law, you release and discharge the Company, its owners, members, employees, contractors, insurers and landlord from any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, costs and expenses — including personal injury, death, and damage to property — arising out of or connected with your use of the premises, the lifts, or any equipment, whether caused by ordinary negligence or otherwise.

Nothing in this section releases the Company from liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or anything else that cannot be released under Michigan law.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold the Company harmless from any claim, loss, liability, judgement or expense — including reasonable legal fees — brought by you, by anyone you bring onto the premises, by a passenger or owner of your vehicle, or by any third party, arising from your work, your vehicle, your conduct on the premises, or your breach of this agreement or the posted shop rules.

Your vehicle, parts and property

Your vehicle is on the premises at your risk. The Company is not a licensed repair facility, does not certify work, and is not a bailee of your vehicle, tools, parts or personal property. We do not insure your vehicle or its contents, and we are not responsible for a repair you performed, a part you fitted, a fastener you torqued, or the condition of the vehicle when it leaves.

You are responsible for the roadworthiness of your vehicle after your visit. If in our sole judgement a vehicle cannot be lifted or driven safely, we may refuse to raise it, end the visit, or require it to be towed at your expense.

Damage to the premises or equipment

Normal wear on tools and consumables is ours. Damage caused by misuse, by ignoring the safety rules, by exceeding a stated rating, or by modifying our equipment is yours, and you agree to pay the cost of repair or replacement plus any bay time lost while that equipment is out of service. We will show you the cost before you settle it.

Our two-post lifts are rated to 10,000 lbs. Attempting to lift a vehicle you know or suspect to be over that rating, or misrepresenting a vehicle during safety screening, is a breach of this agreement.

No alcohol, drugs or impairment

You may not enter the bays or operate any equipment while under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, or any drug — prescribed, over-the-counter or otherwise — that impairs judgement, coordination, reaction time or wakefulness. Alcohol and cannabis may not be brought onto or consumed on the premises at any time.

Staff may end a visit immediately, without refund, where impairment is suspected. You will not be permitted to drive away impaired, and we will call you a ride.

Age, minors and guests

You must be 18 or older to sign this agreement, to book a bay, and to operate a lift or any equipment. Every person who enters a bay signs their own copy of this agreement before they touch a vehicle, a tool, or a control.

People under 18 may be on the premises accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who has signed this agreement and who remains with them at all times. They must stay outside the marked bay lines, may not go beneath a raised vehicle, may not operate a lift or power tool, and may not work at the tool wall. A parent or guardian signing below does so on their own behalf and on behalf of any minor in their care, and assumes the risks in this agreement for that minor as well.

Rules, instructions and removal

You agree to follow the safety briefing, the posted shop rules, and any direct instruction from staff, immediately and without argument — particularly an instruction to come out from under a vehicle or to stop work. The Company may end any visit and remove any person from the premises for unsafe conduct, impairment, abuse of staff or other customers, or breach of this agreement. Time lost that way is not refunded.

Photography and media

We operate video surveillance across the premises for safety and security, and recordings may be retained and used in connection with an incident, an insurance claim, or a legal proceeding. That is not optional and is not covered by the consent below.

Separately, and only if you tick the optional box when you sign, you grant the Company permission to photograph or film you and your vehicle for its own marketing, and a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use those images. You may withdraw that permission at any time by emailing us, and we will stop using the images going forward.

Emergency medical treatment

If you are injured on the premises, you authorise the Company to summon emergency medical services and to permit treatment at your expense. You confirm you have disclosed any medical condition that would affect your safety in a workshop, and you agree that the Company has no obligation to provide medical care beyond first aid and calling for help.

Governing law and severability

This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, and the courts of Oakland County, Michigan have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from it. If a court finds any provision unenforceable, that provision is severed and the rest of the agreement remains in force. This document, together with the posted shop rules and the terms of service, is the entire agreement between us on this subject.

Electronic signature

Typing your full legal name below is your signature. You agree it has the same effect as a signature in ink, that you are signing for yourself, that you have read this document in full, and that nobody has hurried you through it. We keep a record of the text you signed, the name you typed and the date and time you typed it, and we will send you a copy on request.

— End of draft release. Attorney review outstanding. —

04 — Sign it

Tick each line, then type your name

One box per statement, on purpose. A single blanket tick is how people sign things they have not read, and this is not a document to sign unread.

Waiver & release

Locked

Locked until you acknowledge the safety briefing. Go back to the briefing.

Who is signing
We match your waiver to your booking by email, and send you a copy.
We have never had to use one. We still ask for one.
Acknowledgements — one at a time
Signature
Signature Typing your name here is a legal signature, the same as ink. It must match the name above.
Today Set automatically. A signature cannot be backdated.
Good for 12 months. Sign once and every visit for the next year skips this page entirely. We keep the text you agreed to, your typed name, and the timestamp — nothing else about you is stored here.

Signing does not book anything and does not charge anything. Questions first? Call (555) 014-2200.

Still not sure about your car?

Rusted sills, a lowered subframe, an EV you would rather we looked at first — call and describe it. We would much rather have that conversation on the phone than in the bay with your Saturday already spent.

(555) 014-2200 Read the FAQ