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Health & Safety Policy

Creating a safe work environment is all of our responsibilities. You have a personal responsibility to be safe, as well as a responsibility to everybody else.

We understand things break and accidents happen in the space. The most important thing is that we can learn from them, and improve our training and processes to prevent them happening again. Please report near misses or accidents in the accident report book at the kitchen first aid station or via our report form.

Being safe goes beyond just using tools safely. It includes managing dust and fumes from your project, cleaning up after yourself and storing things correctly. If in doubt, please ask those around you.

Unfortunately there will always be some tasks which simply are not suitable for our windowless hackspace.

Wear PPE

Hackspace provides a basic array of PPE for use at the space. You must use any PPE stated as required on the risk assessment for the tool you are using.

If the PPE provided is broken, in poor condition or not there, please email board@hacman.org.uk or inform an area coordinator immediately so stock can be replenished.

Look Out for One Another

Be aware of your surroundings and communicate risks with others. Let others know if they need to keep a distance from you while you use a tool. If you are about to use a tool that needs ear defenders, dust masks or other PPE, let others around you know and give them chance to get their own.

Warning

If you see someone about to/doing something unsafe, stop them as soon as it is safe to do so. If you feel comfortable, offer to teach them how to use the tool safely.

If they continue to use the tool in an unsafe way, ask them to stop using it and if necessary fill in the incident report form.

Using Tools

If you do not feel competent to use a tool, do not use it. - Find the manual online and read it. - If there are others around who are competent, see if they'd be willing to show you how to use a tool. - Take a break, make a brew and watch some youtube videos to learn how to use something properly. - Use the great selection of books in parkspace which form a fantastic learning resource. - Ask on the forum if anyone would be willing to meet you and show you how to use the tool.

You should familiarise yourself with the risks of any tool before you use it. Risk assessments for each tool can be found in the red health and safety folder by the sign up desk, or in our repository of digital risk assessments.

Tool Inductions

Some tools require an induction. This is typically tools that are either complex to use, expensive or can cause damage quickly. You can find out if a tool requires an induction, as well as apply for one on the tool page on the membership system.

Do not use any tool requiring an induction if you are not inducted on it.

Check the condition of the equipment you're about to use.

  • If it has a label saying "Do Not Use" then Do Not Use it!
  • Does it appear to be in working order?
  • Are any power cables damaged?
  • Are all shields in place and secured?
  • If there is an emergency stop button, does it work?

Tag damaged or unsafe equipment out of use

  • A piece of paper fixed to the tool with "Do Not Use" is sufficient, with reason why.
  • Let others know by filling in the incident report form or posting to the forum.

Clean up after yourself

  • Remove all hazards for the next person wanting to use the tool or area.
  • Sweep or mop the floor.

Lone working

Some tools are categorised as 'No Lone Working'. These are typically tools that could cause significant damage to you, impeding your ability to get help.

All of these tools are induction protected, and you will be informed during the induction if this applies. You can also check the tool page on the membership system.

Some examples include: Table saw, all mitre saws, metal mill, CNC mill, all lathes.

If you are using a no lone working tool, you must find a 'safety partner', and inform them you will be using a no lone working tool. They must be able to hear you from where they are, and you should make sure they understand how to stop the machine in an emergency.

If at any point your safety partner leaves, they must inform you and you will either need to find another, or stop work if there is no one else in the space.

Emergency Procedure

Our emergency procedure can be found here.

Negligence

Manchester Hackspace is a place of learning, we will always seek to educate rather than punish. However we have a zero tolerence to willful ignorance of safety.

The decisions you make about how to use our equipment do not just effect you. It could only take one careless incident to shut down our community.

Where members ignore safety concerns or continue using equipment in an unsafe way having been told not to, we may: * Revoke inducted status requiring you to retrain. * Ban you from using a tool * Refer you to our disciplinary procedure.

Risk Assesments

All work carried out in Hackspace should be appropriately risk assessed. We maintain risk assessments for all of our tools on our google drive. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the risk assessment for each tool you are using before you use it. If you think the risk assessment is insufficient, or incorrect, we welcome your contribution.

Annual Review

Our risk assessments require reviewing annually, and we need your help with this. Anyone competant with the use of a tool is able to help. If you have read through a risk assessment and agree it is still valid, please leave a comment on the document with your name and the date at the bottom besides 'last reviewed by'.

Physical Folder

A physical copy of all risk assessments is also kept at the welcome desk in the red H&S file.