Safety Committee

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Reason for Proposing the Safety Committee

One of our rules (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Rules_and_Policies#Members) is: "All Members must be instructed on the usage and safety procedures before the use of large and possibly dangerous equipment." Accordingly, we need to establish safety procedures for the 'Space.

Purpose

1. To Keep Everyone Safe (and the insurance company happy)!

• General Shop Safety
• Wood Shop Safety
• Woodworking Equipment
• Best Practices for Safety
• Basic Emergency Response

Members

1. Preferably someone with an actual certified safety background (Proposed Chairperson)
2. Andrew LeCody
3. Lisa Y Selk
4. Richard Alexander

Articles to review as part of researching what would best suit the safety needs of DMS

• http://www.makekc.org
  • Put Safety In Its Place

1. Dream the Big Dream
2. Understand the Risks
3. Use Safety Precautions
4. Make Stuff - Have Fun

• http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/943138-196/makeitlabs-the-new-hackerspace-in-nashua-closed.html

1. The city’s concerns are numerous.
2. “We don’t shut places down unless we’re really concerned about the safety of people,” said Katherine Hersh, director of community development. She pointed to issues like insufficient venting of vehicle fumes near heat sources such as welding.
3. “Their business is so varied, with a variety of different industrial processes – a kiln, automotive repair, cutting and welding – and along with each one of those comes a variety of concerns,” said fire marshal Richard Wood.

• http://www.sector67.org/about.php

This membership gives you access to the space, tools, and equipment you've been trained to use. We offer a la carte classes for more sophisticated equipment like welders, mills, lathes, 3D printers; and require a shop safety/orientation class to keep the insurance companies happy and you safe. Most classes are (roughly) flat rate 20/hour.

• http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/11/19/how-to-start-a-hackerspace-part-6-get-your-space-ready/
  • Noisy and Messy Zones

1. Heavy equipment and power tools should be grouped together and contained away from clean areas like your hacker lounge, electronics area, textiles hacking area, kitchen and other clean or quiet places. It’s ideal to have a room that can separate out your messy and noisy tools. Be sure to have proper ventilation and all power requirements met. Have a safety program in place to train new members how to use these tools. Tools can quickly harm people who don’t have proper training or respect for the damage tools can swiftly inflict. A future post will list ways to mitigate this.
2. Biohacking/chemical lab and storage is an area designated for mad science projects that require extra precautions. This particular gear and safety equipment is delicate, and I recommend relying on a member who is a trained chemist or bio engineer as the best resource on how to set this up. Most Hackerspaces omit basic chemical safety. Get a Flammable Storage Cabinet to store a lot of your chemicals so you don’t end up with a situation that closes your Hackerspace – or worse. Make sure every chemical is clearly labeled (that includes spraypaint) and keep handy your binder of MSDS forms (Material Safety Data Sheets) for each cabinet. Your MSDS will describe proper handling and emergency procedures in case of contamination or accidents.

• http://www.kwartzlab.ca/membership/

1. Members are each granted a key, which allows them to gain access to the space, as well as access to the tools and equipment in the space (dangerous tools will require the member to pass a safety test first!).
2. What do members have to do?

• • The rules really aren’t too stringent. Once you’re a paying member, you’re required to keep your contact information up to date. You must follow the hackerspace safety guidelines, as well as any and all by-laws that are adopted. And you must be able to play nicely with the other members. The space is for all members’ use and enjoyment; we’re in this together to learn, to build, and to have fun–not to compete with one another for resources.

• http://makezine.com/2013/05/23/making-makerspaces-acquiring-insurance/

1. Any and all plans for storage of hazardous materials, chemicals, and the like.
2. A full safety plan, including evacuation routes, actions to take in various emergencies, incident report processes, and so on.

• http://makerspacetampabay.org/uploads/20130903BOD.pdf

1.  Free safety training on equipment available as part of our training curriculum.

1.  Access to equipment once safety class and/or training class for equipment is completed

• http://www.rochestermakerspace.org/blog/

1. Also, we are scheduling a Safety Orientation for Thursday November 5th at 7:00pm. The class is required for all new members who want to use our wood shop equipment, so grab your tickets today.
2. If you are interested in joining please see our membership page to join, download the new member orientation packet, and sign up for a safety orientation. Upon completing the orientation for safety and membership, you will become a full member and be given access to the space.

• https://www.eventbrite.com/e/safety-orientation-for-new-members-tickets-9088976373
  • Want access to the Rochester Makerspace and still need to go through your safety orientation? Then this session is for you. Taking the class is an essential step to getting access to the space. Space is limited to 15 people so please sign up today.
  • If you haven't joined already please visit our Membership Page on our website. Furthermore make sure you download the New Member Orientation Packet. You are required to read all of these documents, agree to our terms, and bring a Liability Waiver with you to the orientation if we don't have one on file for you.
    • The purpose of the Safety Orientation is to educate you on:
      • General Shop Safety
      • Wood Shop Safety
      • Woodworking Equipment
      • Best Practices for Safety
      • Basic Emergency Response
  • We appreciate all of our members being patient with us and following our safety protocol and procedures. Once you go through a safety orientation, agree to our membership terms, and join, you will be given access to the Rochester Makerspace.

Things to Do

• Signs (Make our own or purchase. Here is an example I stumbled across. Not much selection - It just caught my attention because they were tagged specifically as Hackerspace and Makerspace Signs.)
• Research and decide what type of guidelines will best fit our needs.

Things to Purchase

• Safety Shower
• Industrial First Aid Kits for each area

How To Join

1. Send an e-mail to the address at the bottom of this page requesting to be added
2. Request to join the Safety Committee mailing list (coming soon).
3. Add your name to the "Members" section of this wiki page.

Discussion

• Forums:
  •  ? (are the forums still being used?)
• Mailing List / Google Group:
  • [email protected]
  • https://groups.google.com/a/dallasmakerspace.org/group/safety