Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) published updates to our Shop and Maker Space Safety resources for units and departments that operate shops and maker spaces at the University of Washington.
University units and departments are required to develop a Shop Safety Plan for each shop and maker space within their organization to ensure these areas and equipment are used and maintained in a safe manner. The Shop and Maker Space Safety webpage was updated with important information and links to references, documents, templates, and other helpful tools to assist units in developing their Shop Safety Plans and help address health and safety issues that may be encountered.
Updated shop and maker space safety resources include:
- An improved Shop Safety Plan Template with highlighted text that is easily customizable for units to create a plan for a specific shop or maker space; and
- An updated Shop Safety Self-Inspection Checklist for shop coordinators to use when performing their required annual shop safety self-assessment; the updated checklist better aligns with the elements and requirements used by EH&S during biennial EH&S inspections.
New resources for safeguarding shop equipment and machines include:
- A Machine Safeguarding Guide;
- A Machine Guarding and Safety Assessment Self-Inspection Checklist; and
- Examples of how to use the Hierarchy of Controls for machine safeguarding.
An effective, well-thought-out shop safety plan is the critical foundation for identifying and mitigating risks and potential hazards, maximizing safe work practices, and ensuring the health and safety of all shop and maker space users at the University of Washington. Visit the Shop and Maker Space Safety webpage to access the necessary resources to build that foundation.
Contact the EH&S Shop and Maker Space Safety Program with questions.