Hackspaceinduction

General induction script used by Gavin

Induction tour script

Our history

• The Hackspace started as two guys sitting in a shed 8 years ago
• Tom and Ryan had seen other hackspaces in London and other countries and were keen to start their own
• They found some like-minded people, and initially the group met in a range of temporary venues, such as the Rising Sun arts centre, before taking a couple of rooms at a storage company in Woodley
• Ultimately that did not work out, and the group took the bold step of moving here to Weldale Street
• The building is owned by one of members – Tom – who is not just understanding about our needs, but positively incites us to ‘hack the space’
• Nonetheless, Tom has a mortgage to pay and the monthly rent on the building is £1200
• With only ~30 members when we first moved in, we were not covering the rent, and some members were dipping into their own pockets to make ends meet
• Fortunately, with over 150 members we are now in a much stronger position – we can fully cover our costs
• We do not receive any grants, we are not a charity, and therefore we are masters of our own destiny – we can do what we want

Governance

• We are light on governance and have a level structure. There are no committees, no officers, and fundamentally no member is any more important than any other.
• Three of our members are directors of a limited company - Reading Makerspace Ltd - that has been set up solely to provide us with sufficient legal identity to pay the rates, energy bills (which you can imagine are quite large), and buy things such as insurance
• Our current directors are Ian, Tony and Andrew [point to photo board]
• Members often describe our governance arrangements as a ‘do-ocracy’ – things get done by people on the basis of consensus
• This is important – we are obviously happy to be financially self-sufficient, but we only achieved this position though the hard work of members
• Put simply – this place would not exist without the ‘sweat equity’ invested by members over the years

Playing your part

• We do not employ anybody. The directors do not take any money out of the business.
• We do not, for instance, employ cleaners.
• It is important that you clean up after yourself, ideally leaving your workspace in a better condition than you found it
• If you do not clean up after yourself, other members will call you out on it – and you should do the same
• Cleanliness is a Health and Safety issue. If we have a build-up of dust, or rubbish on the floor, it creates a hazard – a fire hazard and a slip hazard
• So play your part in keeping the place clean
• Fundamentally we are a community. We share not just this building and the tools inside, but also our knowledge and skills
• Our members are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds – engineers, designers, IT specialists, teachers – and as a group we are incredibly knowledgeable
• As a member you will learn a lot, please play your part in sharing what you learn with other members
• A lot of the communication between the group happens on our Google Groups mailing list
• It is generally a well-mannered group, though we occasionally have our disagreements. They tend to calm down as quickly as they flare up. Please think about how your message might come across before posting and despite it's sometimes contentious debates you'll miss out on a lot of the more interesting stuff that happens at the lab if you're not on there.
• Your first post will be moderated by one of the directors – after which you will be able to post freely.
• We also encourage people to become involved in outreach activities

Diversity

• We are a diverse group
• If you look around you will see our membership is drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, different races, religions, genders, sexual orientation, and gender identities
• We consider out diversity to be a great source of creativity within the group and we do not tolerate prejudice. Full stop.
• If you have a problem with any of those groups, it is your problem not theirs.
• If you feel you have been subject to prejudice whilst you are here, please talk to us about it
• There is a safeguarding policy on our wiki.

Your possessions

• We cannot take responsibility for things that you bring with you into the space
• To date we have been very fortunate – we have had almost two hundred people as members, and so far have not had any thieves within the group, but one day it may happen
• We have CCTV, with footage stored securely
• Please take care of your possessions while you are here
• There are some guidelines on bringing things into the space on the wiki – please read them
• We can also offer you a locker downstairs if there is anything that you would like to leave here between visits

 

Health and Safety

• The most important point that I’ll make during this whole induction is this – you are responsible for your own health and safety whilst you are here at the space
• We have some insurance, which fortunately has not been tested, and we hope it never will
• However, if there was a serious incident here, it is likely that we would have to close the space down, and all of the effort that has been put into making this happen so far would be lost

• Taking responsibility for your Health and Safety while you are here means the following
• Do not use a tool unless you are confident that you know, not just how to turn it on and off, but also how it might fail.
  • The example that I normally use is an angle-grinder – any monkey can pick up an angle grinder and turn it on, but is the guard in the right place? Is the disk fitted correctly? (remember these are shared tools) What would happen if it broke? Are you standing safely? If you are cutting metal, where are you spraying sparks? Onto wood-dust? Onto another member?
  • Best advice is to stay mindful – ‘in the moment’ – when you are using power tools
  • If you are at all uncertain, stop
• Do not use a tool that could hospitalise you whilst you are here on your own
  • We have a wide range of tools, including some that could seriously harm you
  • Make sure there is someone in the building to hear your screams and call an ambulance if necessary
  • ambulance station is nearby, maybe mention andrew incident
  • The same thing applies to working with mains electricity
• Be aware of the impact that your work may be having on other members
  • If you think you might be endangering them – stop.
  • If you feel endangered by someone else’s work, ask them to stop and have a discussion about how you might adjust your work to remove the danger
  • Be civil and find a compromise
  • We tell this everyone, there are no arseholes in the group, so don't be afraid to raise concerns
• Wear PPE
  • We have plenty of PPE downstairs and there is absolutely no excuse for not using it
  • We have gloves, aprons, glasses, masks, ear defenders – all there for your use
  • Bring your own if you prefer, but wear appropriate safety equipment for your activity
  • If you see another member not using PPE, feel free to interrupt them (safely) and urge them to wear the appropriate gear
  • If you think that we need more or different PPE then start a discussion with the group about it, it's normally very easy to get the purchase of new PPE agreed

Health and Safety tour

• I will now take you on a brief tour of the space and point out some of the hazards
• [Why I am telling you this stuff] - GG
• [Point out fire extinguishers as you conduct tour]

At front door

• [ How to open door ] - GG
• [Demonstrate fire alarm]

Store room

• [Toilets - unisex, cleanliness, clean running water] - GG
• In here you can store project materials that you're actively working on if you can't easily transport them back and forth
  • You get a suitable box that can fit safely on the shelf, put your stuff in it, label it with your name, contact details and the last date you worked on it
  • You can update the date every time you do something on it, we're fine with things staying here for longer periods so long as they're being actively worked on
  • If a month goes by with no update to the date, we may throw out your project box to make room for others
  • There's a storage policy on the wiki, please check it out before storing stuff here.
• How to use fire extinguishers
  • Check if people already know, skip if they do
  • Raise the alarm! - Do not try to fight the fire if no-one knows you're here, if you get trapped no-one will know to look for you
  • Don't try to fight large fires, if it's more than about 1 cu.mtr. of material burning, forget it, get out!
  • Don't endanger yourself, smoke is lethal
  • You can use all types on paper/cloth/wood fires
  • You can use all types except water on electrical fires
  • You can use all types except water and CO2 on oil/grease/solvent fires
  • CO2 are especially effective on electrical fires
  • Fire extinguishers typically have a range of 3-5m, use it, you don't need to get too close
  • Get down on one knee to avoid the fireball
  • Pull the pin, it'll be harder than you think, really yank it out
  • Hold only by the marked hard-grips, some parts will get dangerously cold during use
  • Aim at base of fire, squeeze handle, wave it around a bit
  • If the fire isn't dying within seconds, give up fighting the fire, get out.

First aid kit and PPE

• [Eye-wash station, basic first aid, bleeding control kit] - GG
• No high-heels, sandals or open-toed shoes in the workshop; trainers are OK, sturdy boots are better
• PPE
  • The main store for protective equipment is here
  • We have ear protection, eye protection, disposable gloves, heatproof gloves, disposable dust masks, aprons, paint-suits, overalls
  • There's always a ready supply of PPE, USE IT! NO EXCUSES!
  • Check your PPE before use, this is a shared space and sometimes things get broken so always check
    • Especially check the heat-proof gloves for holes or tears, it happens quite often
  • If find broken or unserviceable PPE, throw it away and post on the mailing list, we'll get more
  • If we're out of the right PPE for the job you want to do, then you don't do that job! Post on the list reporting the lack and we'll get it sorted
  • If you think we should have additional/different PPE available, post on the mailing list, speak to the room leaders or speak to the directors. We're very open to expanding the range of protection gear we have and it's normally quite easy to get funding for it.

In workshop, by chemical store

• Here is the chemical store
• It is split across 2 cupboards
  • The Flammable materials store is under the sink here, it contains strong alcohols (not for drinking), solvents, flammable resins etc.
  • The flammables cupboard is not locked, but must be kept closed whenever you're not actually taking something out of it.
  • The corrosive materials store is over there under the bench, it contains strong acids, caustic alkalies and other corrosive materials
  • The corrosives cupboard is kept locked and you'll have to ask a director for the key if you need access
• Everything in the cupboards is (a) labelled, and (b) recorded on a register
• This is so that if there was ever a fire, we would be able to tell the fire brigade exactly what is in the cupboard so that they could take precautions
• If you want to bring some chemicals in, please ensure that they are cleared with the people looking after then chemicals and added to the register
• If you are ensure how to use a chemical, read the label and research on the internet – it will tell you what precautions you need to take
• We are not licensed to store explosives, toxins or pre-cursors – this includes chemicals such as higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Please do not bring such chemicals into the space
• Top tip – when you open the cupboard, step back for a moment to let the fumes escape, else you will get a face full of fumes
• Above the chemical cupboard is the fume hood
• Anything that makes hazardous or especially stinky fumes should go in here while you're work on it
• The fan is controlled by this remote [point it out]
• The sink here is the designated "dirty" sink, it's suitable for greasy, dirty, corrosive, smelly or otherwise nasty things, and it's the only sink that is.
• Don't clear workshop items in the toilet sink or upstairs sink.

Chopsaws / tool inductions

• Opposite the sink and chemical cupboard we have the chop saws and the linisher
• This one [points to left one] is for metal, the other one is for wood
• They throw sparks or chips around the workshop, if mis-used they can throw your entire work piece at you
• [These tools require induction - what induction is and how to get it] - GG
• Under the chop saws here [points it out] is the store for scrap timber. If you have offcuts big enough to be useful please put them here, if you want to use something here they're free-for-all, take whatever you need but please consider a donation if that's a lot.

Planer/thicknesser and bandsaw

• [induction req'd, clear up your dust and make sure suction works, don't put your hand inside] - GG
• [at bandsaw - access control, two levels of induction - please do second if you'll make heavy use, awesome but dangerous] - GG

In workshop, in loading bay

• Here is the tablesaw – another powerful and high precision piece of equipment.
• The hazard here is pretty clear – it has a large spinning blade in the top.
• It has dust extraction fitted, which will collect much of the dust the you will create - please use it
• Again, we ask that you do not use the tablesaw unless you have had a familiarisation session
• The distribution units are here on the wall. Around the workshop you may have noticed the red emergency stop buttons on the walls, if pressed they shut off all power to all the sockets down here but not to the large 3-phase tools; Don't hesitate to use them if you see and accident about to happen or in progress. If you do use them or something else trips the power, you will have to reset with the key [point to key].
• Also, here is the light switch for the loading bay, next to the e-stop
• There are blue scheppauge vacuums around [find one] that are ment specifically for wood dust – as well as a variety of other vacuums and brooms. Please clear up all of the dust that you make before you leave.

Wood lathe / reductive work working

• [Here's a way of making vast amounts of dust v quickly] - GG
• All of these tools make quite a lot of dust and that does tend to be an issue down here so
  • The air cleaner should be running all the time when you're doing anything dusty.
  • Take a look at the filter on the front, if it looks clogged, run a vacuum cleaner over it
  • Please always clean up your sawdust when you're done, we have a number of brushes and pans around here
  • Sawdust goes in the regular bins, if they're full then please empty them into the bins outside, one is regular waste, one is recycling, they're clearly marked
  • Dust is a safety issue for us because as well as woodwork, metal grinding sometimes happens in this area, and hot metal sparks plus sawdust is a fire risk
  • It's a good idea to leave 15 minutes of time at the end of work to get everything cleaned up and put away
  • It's OK to leave the air cleaner running on a timer when you leave, it uses hardly any power and helps keep the dust down

In workshop, by stairs

• Here is the welding equipment, the forge, the compressor and the blasting cabinet, along with a bottles of gas
• If you are unfamiliar of the risks associated with using them, then again, we can provide training, the forge and welder require it.
• Please keep the space at the bottom of the stairs clear of objects
• The Forge
  • The forge gets to 1350ºC it can burn pretty much anything that burns and melt most things that melt
  • It uses bottled gas, so there's a fire risk and a carbon monoxide risk from that
  • If water is splashed into a hot forge then it causes a steam explosion, so if it does catch fire, conventional fire extinguishers can't be used
• Welders
  • They can create a lot of sparks so there's a fire risk there
  • There's actually much less electrical hazard than you might think, the MIG welder uses less than 50 volts.
  • But it produces a light that's literally blinding, you mustn't look at welding in progress without special eye protection. Someone welding is supposed to shout "eyes" right before they start to warn you, but don't rely on that.
  • Recently welded metal won't glow but it may still be several hundred degrees, so don't just pick things up without checking first.
• Gas Bottles
  • We keep spare gas bottles here, both inert gases for welding and propane
  • Be careful around cylinders, they all have protection but if they're knocked over and the valves damaged they can take off like a rocket
  • In the event of fire cylinders can explode.

In workshop, at fire exit

• Here is the fire exit - please keep the space in front of it clear

[demonstrate opening]

• The fire escape route is round the back of the building, and round the side. Don't flee in the wrong direction. Don't get caught on the barbed wire.
• Please keep the escape route clear of objects
• Behind the sign there is barbed wire. If the sign is missing, there is a risk that you might get caught on it, so take a sharp left if you have to flee the building
• [Describe escape route including dead-end risk, and why we don't work or store stuff out here] - GG

In workshop, by lathe

• This is the metal lathe. It has three-phase power, and is a powerful high-precision machine
• [Point at and explain the yellow signs above the lathe]
• There is an emergency stop button
• We ask members not to use it unless they have had a familiarisation session and demonstrated their competence
• We can provide training, but we cannot certify you as trained – it is still incumbent on you to satisfy yourself that you are fit to use the machine
• The PPE equipment is kept by the main door [point] – use it
• Opposite the Lathe is the pedestal grinder that we use for sharpening lathe tools
• It has 2 grinding wheels that when spinning have the energy of small bomb and can explode if abused, we ask members not to use it unless they're thoroughly familiar with grinding wheel safety
• By the side of the lathe here [points it out] is the store for metal offcuts and larger bits are kept under the sticking&slipping shelves. If you have offcuts big enough to be useful to people please put them here, if you want to use something here they're free, take whatever you need.

In workshop, in tool storage area

• To your left there are a wide variety of tools, typically things that you might have at home or be able to buy at a DIY store
• They are smaller than some of the other tools, yet still pose a hazard
• Please make sure you know how to use them
• [table router] - GG

Second chemical store

• Here we keep the second chemical store
• It holds oxidising, corrosive or toxic materials such as strong acids, resin catalysts, and aggressive dyes.
• We separate the chemical stores so that chemicals which are incompatible with each other can be kept apart (e.g. flammable solvents and strong oxidisers)
• Some of the chemicals in here are as innocuous as vinegar; others can burn, blind and kill. If you need access you'll have to ask a director for the key and let them know what you need and why so that there's someone else who knows what's in use if something happens to you while using them.

CNC mills

• This is the Boxford CNC Mill, it's a complicated and expensive tool, and we ask that you attend a familiarisation session before trying to use it. To be honest you're probably more of a threat to it than it is to you, but it's still possible to get hurt if you use it wrong enough.
• [expand e.g. interlocks] - GG

Sewing machines, remote controls

• By the door is the honesty box [point it out], most tools are free to use but usage fees for those downstairs tools that have them go in there.
• A lot of tools here make dust so above the benches there's an air cleaner, please turn it on whenever you're working down here, the remote is by the door. It uses next to no power so it's OK to leave it running on the timer when you leave.
• If you're using a lot of nuts, bolts, sandpaper, other small consumables then consider donating a few pence but it's not compulsory unless you're using a hell of a lot
• Here we also have the drill press, it's a high powered 3-phase machine and will quite happily wrap you around the spindle if you get careless with it
• [Sewing machine] - GG
• Here's where we also keep a couple of remote controls
  • This one controls the air conditioner, It's got a lot of modes but "Heat" and "Cool" are the only ones you really need to worry about and you can set the temperature with these 2 controls
  • If you turn on the air-conditioner then please also turn it on to time mode by pressing this button for how many hours you want it to run, so that if you forget to turn it off before leaving it won't run all day/night
  • This one controls the air-cleaner unit over there
  • The air cleaner should be running pretty much constantly whenever anyone's working downstairs, it's uses practically no energy so there's no reason not to
  • You turn it on, set the power, and set the run time. Try to avoid using power setting 3 as it makes the floor upstairs shake! It's fine, and recommended, to leave it running with the timer set when you leave so it can continue clearing dust out of the air after you're finished.
• [Last out procedure here too?] - GG

In small machine room

• In here, we have the laser cutter.
• You will need to take training on the laser cutter before you can use it. This is in part to protect what is an expensive piece of equipment, but also because it is a fire hazard – it burns through things with a laser-beam
• Please do not leave the laser cutters unattended when they are working. It can catch fire.
• [Expansion req'd] - GG

Main room upstairs

• Finally, here is the main room. In here we have soldering irons and reflow stations, they get hot. Please make sure that you pick the soldering irons and heat guns by the right end. Be aware that knocking the heat gun off its cradle may cause to to start blowing very hot air
• [Reflow oven - don't sniff it, don't turn on unless inducted, don't use it to cook pizza] - GG
• The 3D printer and hot-glue guns are also kept in this room, neither is likely to cause a fire but they could injure you if you're not careful with them. Hot glue is obviously hot and can burn skin. The 3D printer has parts that get up to 260C as well as numerous pinch points where a finger could get caught.
• Nobody should ever be leaving live circuits unattended, and should give clear warning if they're working with mains power
• That said... Never touch a circuit or project unless you've checked it's completely de-energized and
• Don't plug anything in unless you've checked it's safe to do so.  

Payment

• Over here on the wall, there are our bank details.
• Our preference, because it easier to reconcile transactions, is that you pay by standing order
• If you do, please make sure that you put YOUR name – repeat YOUR name – in the reference field, else we will not know who has paid us
• You can set up the payment to leave your account on a day that suits you – you don’t have to pay us immediately. If you want to set it up to come out of your account on the day after you get paid, that’s fine, Just make sure that you are making regular, monthly payments else we will cancel your card
• The majority of our members pay £25 per month
  • However we work on the principle that you pay what it is worth to you. If for instance, you are away for part of the year, you might want to pro-rate your payment to reflect this
  • If you are out of work, on benefits, and are less able to pay, we are open to you making a smaller contribution
  • Similarly, if you hit hard times, talk to us about it
  • We would rather have the member than the money – but you will have to make a payment, even if only a nominal amount

Sign-up

[GG to edit]

• [The sign-up page is here. You will need a laptop with a webcam]
• [GDPR - we collect the vast majority of this data (everything except gender] on the legal basis that we consider it to be in our legitimate interest. We have a privacy impact assessment if you would like to read it. We collect gender with your consent. We use the data for diversity monitoring]

• Your details will be encrypted and stored securely by the directors.
• Please ensure that you put the right details in the right fields
• [Tap card on reader with focus in right field]
• [Photo ID]
• [GG If they volunteer that they have previously had a different name, ask if content to store as a secure note, and if yes, add as a note afterwards]
• [Take their picture and upload afterwards]

• [Take member to front door. Brace door open against your foot. In quick succession, place your card, their card, and then your card against the reading zone. Test their card has been activated by putting it in zone again]

• [If successful, close door, give card to member and invite them to open it with their card. If unsuccessful, repeat from step 1 and email directors with details of faulty card]

• Congratulations, and welcome to Reading Hackspace. Your card will give you 24/7 access to the space. Please treat as you would your keys – so not write rLab or our address on it! Keep it safe