The Fab Safe Game: Preparing Fab Labs and Maker Spaces for Occupational Health and Safety

Abstract

Fab labs, maker spaces, hacker spaces, repair cafes, etc. are places where the public, school groups, individual tinkerers, and inventors can use computers, machinery, and tools to play, learn, tinker, invent, design, create, and acquire and share knowledge. What stands out in many fab labs, maker spaces, etc. (further called fab labs) is the enthusiasm of people involved. A mix of amateurs and professionals, young and old, and paid staff and volunteers are setting up, running, and using machinery and tools. Their variety in background and interest is a great asset of the lab; the reverse, however, is the absence of a common base of knowledge, practice, and attitudes related to health and safety. Several fab lab managers want to structurally ensure the health and safety of all people involved within their organization. The Fab Safe Game is a tool for them to make this happen. The intended audience of the Fab Safe Game is fab lab management and staff of a specific lab (7–14 people). A game session can be completed in half a day. The participants are divided into three small groups, each playing a different role in the game. The “building manager” is responsible for the lab building and its machines, the “logistics manager” is responsible for activities, materials, and inventory at the lab, and the “lab manager” is responsible for all people, staff, volunteers, and visitors involved at the lab. First, each role develops its own model (view) of the lab, resulting in three views that will be exchanged and cross-checked. Then, they identify safety and health risks and relate them to their own views. Next, they review a card deck with safety conditions and complement their inventory of risks. Finally, they prioritize the list, add desirable measures, and create a global plan to implement them. The paper describes the Fab Safe Game design process.