Glasgow Hackerspace has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of individuals who use our facilities. A diverse range of activities take place at the Hackerspace and this policy is intended to provide guidance to ensure that these activities are carried out safely and without undue restriction.
Directors have final responsibility for health and safety. They may share this responsibility by delegating some taboutasks.
Directors and any persons they delegate to do so are responsible for ensuring that:
All users of the Hackerspace must exercise personal responsibility and care in the prevention of injury or ill health to themselves or others. Members are also responsible for supervising all activities of visitors including members of the public.
Hackerspace users:
Members must also report:
All accidents, instances of occupational ill health, fires and dangerous occurrences including near misses must be reported to the directors as soon as possible after the incident has occurred, and in any case within seven days, so that the requirements of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) may be met. No accident should be considered too trivial to report.
All accidents will be reviewed by the directors so that steps may be taken to prevent future occurrence.
Access to the Hackerspace is provided 24 hours a day throughout the year on an access control system. Access is only available to Hackerspace Members and visitors including members of the public on open nights must be supervised, particularly when using the individual workshops. Rooms should be locked when not in use to prevent unauthorised access.
Additional risks apply outside normal business hours. Make sure to read the Lone Working Policy, and to have a working mobile phone and a note of telephone numbers for Wasps South Block. These numbers are also posted by the door to the Hackerspace.
Lone working may also be relevant at any time when the Hackerspace is quiet and should be considered when working alone the unit.
Fire safety is the responsibility of Wasps South Block and information about fire escape routes are adjacent to the unit entrance.
Any fire in the Hackerspace space must be reported as an accident report to the directors.
Fire safety must be considered in the risk assessment of all processes and activities.
Fire drills may occur from time to time and will be organised by Wasps South Block.
Any person disclosing a relevant disability to the Hackerspace Directors that may affect their egress in the event of a fire alarm will need individual consideration. The directors will liaise with Wasps South Block to risk assess and define a personal emergency action plan.
First aid boxes are provided and stocked based on evaluation of the risks and types of injuries associated with the activities within the Hackerspace.
The Hackerspace does not provide trained first aiders due to the nature of the organisation however members are encouraged to learn first aid from a provider such as the British Red Cross or St Andrews First Aid.
If a Hackerspace user falls ill or is injured, members should offer assistance if they are able and it is safe to do so. During office hours, Wasps South Block front desk may be able to offer assistance.
In an emergency, call 999 for help. The Hackerspace address is Studio 221 60-64, Osborne Street, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5QH.
All injuries and accidents must be reported to the directors. Any injury caused by faulty equipment or chemicals should be reported immediately so it may be made safe for others.
Personal protective equipment includes, but is not restricted to, the following;
Where PPE has been provided for a task, it must be worn by the user.
Workshop areas may require a minimum standard of PPE for entry as the activities carried out by members may present risks to other users of the space (e.g. generation of particles or noise).
PPE requirements are assessed through risk assessment of Hackerspace activities. Every effort should be made either to eliminate the process giving rise to the hazard or to reorganise the operation so that the hazard is controlled at source. Where this is not possible, personal protective equipment should be issued only after it has been evaluated as being suitable for protecting against that hazard.
All significant manual handling tasks must be risk assessed prior to undertaking the task. Manual handling should be avoided wherever possible by the introduction of mechanisation or manual handling equipment.
A major cause of accidents in general is poor housekeeping.
Apparatus and other materials which are not immediately required should always be returned to a safe storage place, and unwanted materials, particularly combustible and flammable items, should be disposed of safely and promptly.
Any spillages must be cleaned up immediately by a person who fully appreciates the special hazards which the spilled material may possess.
Gas, water and electricity, and any piped gas or liquid, supplies should always be turned off when not required, and especially when the Hackerspace is closed.
Food and drink should only be consumed in the kitchen and social area of the Hackerspace.
Hands must be washed thoroughly before consuming food and drink, particularly if chemicals have been used or solder or electronics have been handled.
The use of alcohol, prescription medications and illegal drugs may impair the ability to safely use Hackerspace facilities.
No machinery or dangerous activities should be carried out if your ability is impaired through the use of alcohol or drugs.
Intoxicated persons may be asked to leave the premises to protect the safety of others.
The Hackerspace is a non-smoking premises which includes the use of e-cigarettes and vapes.
Any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition.
All users of equipment must perform basic visual checks on electrical equipment prior to use to ensure there is no damage to plugs, cabling or equipment casings. Any issues should be reported as a fault and the equipment taken out of service.
Equipment should be appropriately fused.
South Block are responsible for the safety of the fixed electrical installation and this must not be modified by members.
Any damage to the fixed electrical supplies should be immediately reported to the Directors who will inform building management.
There is a high risk from equipment that fails to meet European safety standards. This may be equipment ordered from eBay and AliExpress but also includes some items such as low cost phone chargers which are often imported with fake compliance certificates.
Counterfeit equipment should not be used in the Hackerspace. It can often be identified by spelling mistakes or incorrect symbols on the device. Plugs may not be of the correct dimensions and fuses incorrectly manufactured in these cases.
Only fused multi way extensions connected to a wall socket via a cable may be used. These must not be daisy chained. Long extensions should be secured to prevent wear and not become a trip hazard.
All faulty equipment should be taken out of service and labelled to prevent use by others.
Any person who introduces, or manufactures, a source of hazard in the Hackerspace has a duty towards the control of the hazard and the eventual safe disposal of the material. Accurate records must be maintained.
Persons who obtain hazardous substances must obtain from the supplier a statement detailing the known or potential hazards associated with the substance, the recommended precautions and control measures. Such information, in the form of Safety Data Sheets, must be made available by law by the supplier.
A risk assessment for all work activities involving hazardous substances must be prepared before work commences, as required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. The directors must be notified before new hazardous substances are introduced to allow for adequate risk assessment.
All hazardous substances must be stored and labelled appropriately.
Biological or radiation hazards should not be introduced or used in the Hackerspace.
The Hackerspace operates on the basis of identifying the risks associated with activities and ensuring they are reduced to a minimum level. The directors are ultimately responsible for ensuring the risk assessments of significant activities are completed and regularly reviewed.
A written risk assessment records the significant hazards, the risks arising therefrom, the system of work and control measures to be followed and the persons at risk. Particular attention should be paid to any risks which might be encountered by vulnerable workers such as pregnant women, young and/or inexperienced workers, particularly students, or those who may work alone. The level of detail in a written risk assessment should be in proportion to the risks and the complexities of each case.
Whilst risk assessments are carried out for many activities, members should adopt a culture of safe working practices and dynamically assess the risks of any work they do before carrying out the activity.
Members should consider the hazards involved, their likelihood and if there is a safer way they can do something. They should also consider if their activity puts at risk any other members and how they can protect their safety.