10 Safety and Waste management

Safety plan

Makers display, operate, or use items that may pose a danger to others, that is why their work areas should be ventilated, fire-resistant (if need be), well-lit, and conceived in a fashion that allows them to work safely on projects. Moreover, they have to explain what they will do to keep others safe. To do so, it is advised to create a written Safety Plan, which will make you and members of the makerspace, more confident that you are all aware of the foreseeable risks, consider possible consequences, and have taken all the precautions you could to ensure everyone’s safety.

Safety plans typically include a description of the exhibit or demonstration, the names, qualifications and previous experience of people working the exhibit, a description of general safety precautions, and the emergency plan. If the project includes fire, the safety plan should also describe the fuel source, how much is onsite, where and how it is stored, how much is burning and in what amount of time it burns, and if the valve has an electronic propane sniffer.

Here are some other more specific safety guidelines often connected to certain kinds of tools.

• Flying objects. Safety glasses should be worn at all times in the shop, especially while working near hammers and power tools to protect eyes from flying debris.
• The air you breathe. Respirators (masks) should also be worn when sanding with either a power sander or by hand. Any kind of soldering generates fumes from the rosin core of the solder so the area should be ventilated.
• Multiple risks. Electric saws have high-power moving blades that can quickly cause traumatic injuries. However the chance of injury is small when properly maintained and used with care and attention. In addition to safety glasses, respirators (masks) and earplugs should be worn during use of electric saws.
• Fire. Heat guns and handheld torches can generate fires if used without proper attention to the work and surrounding areas.
• Burns. Make sure there’s cool running water nearby for burns. Use the lower-heat glue guns when possible.
• Sewing can cause a small prick from a needle, but sewing machines and sergers both have enough power to put a needle through a finger when used carelessly.
• Metalwork areas need welding screens or curtains to prevent eye damage in passersby. Visors should be worn while welding.

Very important too, potential hazards reflect the tools as well as the activities in the work space. For example,

• 3D printing is becoming more and more common in makerspaces. However, the materials that they use and their waste products may result in health hazards. Hot parts or plastic resin can cause burns. The printing process can emit toxic volatile particles that can cause respiratory irritation. Direct exposure to ultraviolet light can cause damage to your vision.
• Laser cutters are also potentially hazardous machines. They use a strong beam of light to cut, drill or engrave various materials. The laser light must be contained within the cutter to prevent damage to vision. Another hazard is the risk of fire caused by the hot laser beam which can be minimised by proper cleaning and maintaining the machine. The waste material produced during the cutting process needs to be removed by a filtration system meeting the specifications of the manufacturer.

Waste management