Checklist

Fab Lab Safety Orientation Checklist

Updated June 11, 2026

Every fab lab has an orientation. Some are ninety serious minutes that make you safer for life; some are a waiver, a wave, and a wifi password. This checklist tells you which one you just took — and what to do about the gaps.

A real orientation covers the building first

• ☐ Emergency exits, and the assembly point outside
• ☐ Fire extinguisher locations and types (the CO2 one lives near the laser for a reason)
• ☐ Emergency stops: where, and a literal demonstration of pressing one
• ☐ First aid kit, eyewash, and who to call — posted, not folklore
• ☐ Incident and near-miss reporting: how, to whom, no-blame
• ☐ Working-alone and after-hours rules

Then the universal rules

• ☐ PPE expectations stated as requirements, not suggestions
• ☐ Dress code: hair, sleeves, jewelry, closed-toe shoes
• ☐ The training matrix: which machines need which checkout, and how to book them
• ☐ Material restrictions overview (and where the full lists are posted)
• ☐ Cleanup standards — what 'done' looks like at a station

Machine-area walkthroughs (even pre-checkout)

You shouldn't leave orientation able to use the table saw — but you should know its danger zone exists. A good orientation walks every area and names the headline hazard: laser fire watch, saw kickback, welding arc flash, CNC workholding. If the tour skipped a whole room, that room's rules live only in tribal knowledge — ask.

Score what you got

Questions worth asking before it ends

• “Who's the most safety-fluent person here on weeknights?” (Your future first question target.)
• “When did the lab last update a procedure after a near-miss?” (Living systems update; dead ones don't.)
• “Can I retake orientation later for free?” (Good labs say yes.)
• “What's the youth/guest policy?” — orientation requirements usually differ for kids and families.