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Safety First!
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Red Binders in the shop indicate important safety information. Your safety training records are filed in a Red Binder!
MakerSpace provides safety training for our clients and staff in compliance with protocols defined by the Penn State Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and OSHA. Our ClientsOur Clients include:
Our StaffOur Staff is authorized by PSU EHS and Risk Management to provide you with training and supervision on all tools. Staff receives rigorous training to ensure your experience is safe, productive, and enjoyable. |
Client Safety
Staff Safety
Levels of Training
Level 1Your signed document on file in the Red Binder grants general space use privileges |
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Level 2
Your signed document on file in the Red Binder, initialed by your trainer, grants specific tool reservation and use privileges |
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Level 3
Your signed Equipment Specific training AND Laser Certificate on file in the Red Binder grants Laser Cutter reservation and use privileges |
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Levels of Supervision
For our Students and Community Outreach Clientele:
- Monitor always on duty | A MakerSpace staff member must be on duty whenever you are using MakerSpace. As academic schedules of staff allow, we strive to make the space accessible 9-5 Mon-Fri during the Fall and Spring academic terms. Community outreach programming may be scheduled beyond regularly scheduled hours.
- Active equipment-specific supervision | A staff member must actively supervise use of the stationary table saw or band saw. Use these only when the staff member is available to assist you directly.
- YOUR safety and satisfaction are our priority | Everyone deserves a safe, productive, and enjoyable MakerSpace experience! Staff on duty are authorized to re-direct or prohibit:
- Unsafe handling of tools or materials. Staff may simply remind you of best practice, offer a brief training refresher, require full re-training, or in extreme cases, refer the situation to the program coordinator.
- Anything mis-aligned with our time, fabrication, material, or work support policies or the PSU Student Code of Conduct.
For University employees:
- No monitor required | No MakerSpace staff member is required to be on duty for employee use. After-hours access for employees only can be arranged; contact the program coordinator.
- Buddy system for saws | If using any kind of saw, stationary or portable, one other University employee must be present.
As a MakerSpace staff member, you are authorized to train student and employee clients, a role that requires rigorous training that includes but goes beyond our Client Safety requirements. As a hybridized facility covering many categories of activity, MakerSpace is governed by 1) machine shop, 2) laboratory, and 3) laser safety protocols.
1 – Machine Shop Safety
The following sites and documents cover this topic for staff:
- Read: Machine Shop Safety Snapshot at PSU EHS | Main overview page at PSU Environmental Health and Safety site
- Read: EHS Machine Safety Program Requirements and Guidelines | A general outline of safety requirements for PSU machine shop facilities
- Read: EHS Laser Safety Program | A general outline of safety requirements for laser tools
2 – Lab Safety and Lab Hazard Communication Training at LRN
For this topic, staff must create and use an account at the Penn State Learning Resource Network (LRN). For topic selection purposes at LRN, you are considered an Employed Student:
After creating your LRN Account, log in and visit the training pages:
- EHS – Initial Laboratory & Research Safety Training – Non-UP Locations | Take and pass a quiz with 80% or higher score to receive a certificate to be filed in our Staff Red Binder.
- EHS – Laser Fundamentals and Safety Training | When complete, take and pass a quiz with 80% or higher score to receive a certificate to be filed in our Staff Red Binder.
3 – Additional Laser Specific Safety Training
Additional laser training for staff is comprised of the following documents:
Safety Chart
Unsure which tools require what kind of training and/or supervision? Use this guide:
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Training/Supervision: Students:
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Facility Compliance
Emergency Evacuation Procedures
Staff is instructed to appropriately implement emergency evacuation procedures, as are all clients using the Laser Cutter. Evacuation routes, exits, and rally points, as well as location of fire extinguishers, are illustrated on signage in the entry hall adjacent to the main entry door.
Inspections
The MakerSpace Program Coordinator is the designated Shop Supervisor for our facility. To ensure safety standards compliance, the Shop Supervisor consults with EHS on the following checklists and inspections annually. Paper versions of the following are on file with signatures at MakerSpace:
- Shop Safety Inspection Checklist
- Laser Self-Inspection List
- Laser Specific Safety Training
- Unit Specific Plan
SOP, MSDS, and User Manuals
Data Sheets and Documentation | Visit this link to explore our robust supplementary safety compliance documentation. Safety standards compliance requires hard-copy documentation of the following:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
- Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- User Manuals
You can find other supplementary training materials at the page, including links to video tutorials and databases
Lockout/Tagout Standard
MakerSpace has implemented a Lockout/Tagout Standard (LOTO) for the maintenance and repair of select machines. This safety procedure ensures that a dangerous machine cannot be restarted prior to the completion of tasks that would become hazardous if a machine were reconnected to a power source.
In our facility, LOTO applies to servicing of the following:
- All stationary power tools: table saw, band saw, miter saw, disc/belt sander, drill press.
- Laser cutter
- Vinyl cutter
- FDM 3D printers
Work involving minor tool changes (for example, changing a bit in the drill press) that are a routine part of machine operation are not covered by the standard. Major servicing (for example, changing a broken band saw blade) does require the standard.
Incident Reports
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Don’t win a Darwin Award!
Our protocols ensure the MakerSpace is one of the safest places on campus despite the presence of rapidly spinning sharp steel, molten hot plastic, and feisty lasers! Any injury, large or small, requires the attention of staff to assess:
Our Track Record
We strive to maintain our record as an incident-free facility every day. Please keep our safety record going! |
If an Incident Occurs…
Involving Students | Staff on duty will file:
Involving Employees | An employee on payroll—faculty, campus staff, or MakerSpace staff if they are on shift (being students on payroll)—is processed as per:
