Makerspace Ashfield

Health and Safety

Health and Safety

Ashfield MakerSpace (AMS) is owned, run and maintained by its members; there are no paid staff so everything is done on a volunteer basis. We are not just a workshop; we’re also a community.

Introduction – Core Safety Principle

  • We have an ethos of “Be Safe” and “Respect”, also some Codes of Conduct of “Be excellent to one another” and “Do one more thing”
  • Our 2 main : We aim to provide a safe working environment for all our members and visitors by striving to achieve “best practice” in every workshop; if you can see a way of improving things, tell a lead.
  • Respect yourself, others, the tools / equipment, and the Space.
  • Be excellent to one another.
  • Each member is responsible for the safety of themselves and other members.
  • Members must follow and agree to all rules, and membership may be revoked through the complaints policy.
  • It is essential you use the Space safely as a responsible adult.
  • Never allow an unsafe action to occur; don’t be shy to speak up
  • Never attempt a job or process without training guidance
  • Any incident where the safety of any person is compromised – either when an injury has occurred, or there was a significant risk of injury – should be recorded on an Accident / Near Miss Incident Report Form and referred to the Committee.
  • If you don’t know, ask
  • Always use the right tool for the job, we encourage the safe use of tools.
  • Don’t take risks or use hazardous shortcuts
  • Look after tools and equipment. Please report any broken/damaged tools and equipment using the Broken equipment form .
    Please disconnect the power, and if possible move to the broken tools area.
  • Always do the pre-use checks for any machine you
    intend to use as set out in the Pre-Use Checklist.
  • Housekeeping is fundamental to safety, before work, during work and after your work is done.
  • Always follow the post-use checklist for any machine you use so it’s clean and safe for the next member to use
  • Always consider if your working could set off the smoke detectors
  • If you’re alone in the building, ensure you’ve made “Buddy Arrangements”. Also please take extra care when using potentially dangerous tools. The onus will be on the lone working member to ensure they personally take all precautions over their own safety.
  • Don’t attempt to operate any “Red Tagged” equipment [LINK TO PHOTO]. Use of a tool requiring an induction is expressly forbidden unless there is a record of your induction.
  • Usage of any tool self certifies that you are comfortable using the tool.
  • Do not disturb other members whilst they are using tools or equipment.
  • We do not permit or ignore harassment of any kind, for any reason.
  • Don’t smoke or vape in the building
  • Do One More Thing

Responsibility

Health & Safety is the responsibility of every member of Ashfield MakerSpace. It is the duty of each member to make sure they are safe and do not endanger the people around them.

We have many potentially dangerous pieces of equipment and tools available to members; if you are not confident with a tool or machine, or haven’t used it before, you should ask to be inducted on it. For machines without specific inductions (see the Teams section), another member will typically be willing to provide advice; the best places to ask are the relevant Team WhatsApp Group, or another member in the area.

Provision of appropriate PPE is the responsibility of the member to provide.
Area and tool inductions will detail the required PPE for each area and task.
DO NOT OPERATE ANY EQUIPMENT WITHOUT WEARING THE CORRECT PPE.

When in doubt about another member’s safety do approach them to discuss it, or raise it with a committee member. Every member has the right and responsibility to challenge unsafe behaviours.

The following quote provides good guidance on workshop safety:

“Before we use any power tools, let’s take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses.”

First Aid

First Aid Boxes are kept stocked and checked periodically. Please ensure you are familiar with where these are stored – they can be found in the following locations:

On the wall in the Textiles area just before the door to the Messy room. Downstairs on the wall to the right of the Woodworking room entrance door.

If you use anything from these boxes, please report the injury using the near misses / accident reporting form explained below.

Accident and Near Miss Reporting

It is important that accidents, whether resulting in an injury or near miss, are logged. This helps us improve the safety of the MakerSpace. Accurate reporting of incidents allows us to make informed decisions about safety within MakerSpace. It guides our induction processes and prompts us to check the first aid kits more regularly than scheduled.

Posters for our Near Miss and Accident reporting form can be found around the space. The posters contain a QR code which you can scan from your phone.
A link to the form can also be found here.

When an accident is reported, the Committee is notified immediately. This ensures we are able to make necessary improvements as quickly as possible.

Fires

If there is a fire in the building, leave using the nearest clear exit. If there are no clear exits, use the fire extinguishers to assist with your escape. Once you are safely outside of the building, call the emergency services using 999. Your safety is the priority in the event of a fire. Our fire action plan can be read here [LINK]

Fire Prevention and Procedure

We shall operate a policy of implementing measures that include: –

  1. Preventing fires from starting
  2. Having emergency procedures should a fire occur

Fire alarm – ADC testing and what to do:

  • in the event of an alarm…
  • evacuation procedure
  • fire exits and escape routes
  • assembly points
  • alarm call points

Fire extinguishers – types and locations – testing and renewal

Fire blankets

Sources of fire ignition: –

  • electrical malfunction
  • heating elements – glue guns, soldering stations, heat gun, sparks
  • kitchen cooking appliances

When to tackle a fire – when not to tackle a fire.

The dangers of smoke inhalation

Educate and inform – Empower our membership – Feel confident

Lone Working

Visiting the Ashfield Makerspace (AMS) premises or using AMS facilities while no other persons over the age of 14 are present constitutes lone working. Lone working should be avoided where practical, as this significantly amplifies the level of risk associated with any action.

Our Lone working policy can be read in full here

Closed toe shoe policy

Our closed-toe shoe policy can be found here

Safety Objectives, Setting and monitoring

Committee members will continually be making checks around AMS to discover any potential hazards. Any member that notices a problem should report it to the committee as soon as possible. They will also ensure the First Aid kits are complete and items are not out of date. 

Any policy shall be reviewed annually or due to a relevant change in circumstances.

Safety Audit

In 2024 a Fire Risk Assessment and a Health & Safety Audit was organised by Ashfield District Council (ADC). The results from these audits can be found in the files below: [LINK]

Tools Review

It is planned to have regular times when AMS will not be open in the normal way. These times will be used to carry out inspections of equipment and machinery and general maintenance of the area. All members are welcome to take part in these days.

Any machine found to be damaged will be withdrawn from use. 

Broken equipment will be labelled accordingly.

Keeping the working areas clean and tidy is the responsibility of all.

COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)

We keep copies of all COSHH sheets relating to substances stored at Ashfield Makerspace e.g., paints, cleaning products, printing inks etc.
They are available to read here [LINK] and printed copies can be found:
In a file in Messy Crafts Room and …

Manual Handling

Please make yourself familiar with the HSE publication here:
Manual handling at work: A brief guide

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Some safety equipment (PPE) is readily available within the workshops and topped up on a regular basis ; Please contact the relevant Team Lead for the type of PPE required in each area.

Good advice can be found on the HSE page here:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/ppe/using-the-right-type-of-ppe.htm

Working at height

Always ask for help to access any item that is out of reach or heavy.
Further information can be found here:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/step-by-step-guide.htm

Working with chemicals

  • COSHH sheets are located in a folder in Messy Crafts and the front of relevant cabinets.
  • fumes – volatile substances, inhalation and flammability
  • appropriate containers and storage
  • appropriate use of gloves, eye protection, and other PPE for irritants and corrosive substances.

    Further reading on working safely with chemicals can be found here:
    https://www.hse.gov.uk/chemicals/index.htm

Noise and Vibration

Be considerate of the local community and keep the noise down.

Vision Damage

  • eye protection must be worn when using certain equipment. Please make yourself familiar with this prior to your initial induction.

    Further reading on working safely with chemicals and eye safety can be found here:
    Working safely with display screens
    Using PPE

Safety of non-members

Visitors to the space are not allowed into the building unless accompanied by a committee member at all times and the safety of 14 to 17 year olds is the responsibility of their Parent/Guardian.

Stress, Violence, INappropriate behaviour, drug and alcohol use

Please see our Terms & Conditions here

FILE REF: AMS -12
CURRENT REVISION: 1
ISSUE DATE: 22.1.26
PUBLISHED: 25.2.26

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