Minor Safety Policy

The Minor Safety Policy (Minors in Hazardous Work Areas) was adopted by the Board of Directors on July 21, 2026 (vote 9-0), on the condition that a clause be added giving the board the final say to approve exceptions case by case. That clause has since been added. The final text is being collected and will be published on this page.

This page is being written. The final adopted text is being collected from the Chairman (chairman@waukeshamakers.com). Until it is posted, ask a board member if you have a question about minors at the makerspace.

What the policy covers

Based on the board's July 21, 2026 review, the policy:

• Defines a minor as anyone under 18, and a hazardous work area as anywhere with active machinery or power tools.
• Sets the general rule that minors are not allowed in hazardous work areas.
• Allows two exceptions: supervised educational visits for ages 14 and up (machinery powered down or locked out, except for demonstrations), and documented apprenticeship or work-based learning for ages 16 and up.
• Prohibits minors, without exception, from working alone, using equipment that requires certification, doing maintenance or cleaning, entering when multiple machines are running, overriding safety systems, and performing lockout/tagout. Minors cannot become certified on equipment.
• Requires personal protective equipment and a safety briefing.
• Sets supervision ratios of one adult for every one to three minors, depending on the risk.
• Requires documentation: parental consent, acknowledgement of the safety rules, training records and badge scan logs.
• Sets enforcement: removal, suspension and possible loss of membership.
• Requires compliance with federal, state and OSHA rules.
• Gives the board the final say on all cases the policy applies to, including case-by-case exceptions.

For what this means on a shop visit, see Minors in the Shop in the Shop Safety book.