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PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in the Makerspaces

This page goes into more detail than the safety sign on the wall. Read it before you use a tool or machine you haven't used before, and ask if you're ever unsure what protection a task calls for. When in doubt, ask June (jpeters@universityprep.org) before you start.

The short version: match your protection to the hazard in front of you, take it off when the hazard is gone, and never treat "I forgot" as an excuse to skip it next time. PPE is on the shelving with clamps.

Eye Protection​

Wear safety glasses any time you're cutting, sanding, drilling, routing, or doing anything that could throw a chip, splinter, dust, or a broken bit toward your face — this includes the CNC router, drill press, hand saws, and bolt cutters.

  • Regular glasses are not a substitute. If you wear prescription glasses, we have over-glasses safety goggles that fit over them.

Hearing Protection​

Wear ear protection (earmuffs or foam earplugs) around anything loud enough that you'd have to raise your voice to talk to someone next to you — this includes the CNC router while it's cutting, the drill press on harder materials, and the shop-vac use.

  • Hearing damage from shop noise is cumulative and permanent — it adds up across many short exposures, not just one loud moment, so it's worth protecting even for "just a quick cut."

  • Foam earplugs are single-use — take a fresh pair each time rather than reusing ones that have been sitting in a pocket.

  • If you're standing next to the CNC while it runs, wear hearing protection even if you're not the one operating it.

Gloves​

Gloves protect your hands from splinters, sharp edges, and hot surfaces (like the heat press) — but they are not appropriate for every task, and using them at the wrong time is more dangerous than using no gloves at all.

Never wear gloves near spinning or rotating tools — the drill press, CNC router, vinyl cutter blade, or anything with a rotating bit or blade. Loose glove fabric can catch on a spinning tool and pull your hand into it before you have time to react. This is one of the most important rules in the shop: bare hands, every time, around anything that spins.

Gloves are appropriate for:

  • Handling raw material with rough or splintery edges (unfinished wood, sheet metal) before it goes on a machine.

  • Working with the heat press or handling anything just out of it.

  • General handling of cut parts that may have sharp edges or burrs.

If you're not sure whether a task calls for gloves or bare hands, ask before you start — the spinning-tool rule is the one exception-free rule on this page.

N95 Masks​

Wear an N95 mask when sanding, cutting, or routing materials that generate fine dust — wood, MDF, and similar materials on the CNC router, drill press, or hand sanding.

  • The CNC router and sanding stations generate the most airborne dust of anything in the shop; masking up matters even if you're only doing a short cut.

  • Put your name on a piece of tape wrapped around the strap on an N95. Reuse only your own mask.

  • Make sure it's sealed against your face (no gaps at the nose or sides) for it to actually filter anything.

Closed-Toe Shoes​

Closed-toe shoes are required any time you're in the Makerspace working with tools or machines — they're basic protection against dropped material, tools, and hardware. Sandals, flip-flops, and open-toe shoes aren't appropriate shop footwear.

Loose clothes, jewelry, or hair​

  • Long hair, loose sleeves, dangling jewelry, and drawstrings are their own hazard around spinning tools for the same reason gloves are — tie back or remove anything that could get caught before you use the Makerspace.

A Few General Rules​

  • PPE is no joke. Skipping it isn't cool because losing an eye for no reason isn't cool.

  • If you see a classmate skip PPE for something that clearly calls for it, say something — looking out for each other is part of shop culture here, not just an adult's job.

  • A single honest mistake, corrected once you're reminded, isn't cause for shame. A repeated pattern of skipping PPE after being reminded puts your safety standing at risk.

Questions​

For help figuring out what protection a specific task calls for, or to report PPE that's missing, damaged, or needs replacing, contact June Peters (jpeters@universityprep.org).