Manchester Makerspace Code of Conduct

We’re voicing our strong, unequivocal support of appropriate behavior by all members, guests of members, and participants at the Manchester Makerspace (MMS) and associated events. This applies to activities inside the MMS, as well as any off-site community events where members are representing our organization. We invite you to help us make the MMS a place that is welcoming and respectful to all participants, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, national origin, ethnicity, or religion. We want everyone to focus on the great networking and community richness that happens when we get together in person, and we will not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.

Examples of harassment include offensive comments, verbal threats or demands, sexualized images in public spaces, intimidation, unwelcome criticism, stalking, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of sessions or events, and unwelcome physical contact or sexual attention. If you would hesitate to show your creation(s) to a child, your family, or a stranger on the street, we expect you to exercise discretion by keeping it out of sight whenever it’s not actively being worked on.

Please abide…

  • Be most excellent to each other.
  • Clean, Maintain, Organize, Improve. Always leave the space better than you found it.
  • Safety is important. If you are unsure of how to safely do something, don’t do it.
  • When you break something, own up to it. If you have any doubt about fixing it, ask for help.
  • Members may not interfere with MMS infrastructure, including but not limited to lights, locks, cameras, and sensors.
  • Don’t make someone feel bad for breaking things, help them understand what went wrong.
  • Members may bring a guest to the MMS, for a limited duration, under the hosting member’s direct supervision. Guests are not permitted to use any makerspace equipment requiring an checkout, nor to wander away from the hosting member’s direct supervision
  • Follow the MMS Shop Use Policy for each shop.
  • Other than rental storage (bins, lockers,shelves), and certain safety equipment (welding helmets, leathers) there is to be no storage of personal property anywhere on the premises.   Materials for active projects shall be kept entirely within your rented plot or shelf;  additional consumables relevant to a shop may briefly be stowed out of the way within a shop, only with both explicit permission from the Resource Manager and properly labeled with the member name, arrival date, and a hard removal date.
  • While we understand you cannot always clean another member’s mess, please at a minimum report any spill, mess, or trip hazard observed, preferably by a Slack private message to the RM.
  • Members are 100% liable for the onsite actions of any person they permit to enter the space, either as a guest or by opening (or failing to close and latch) any exterior door.  No tailgating!
  • The City of Manchester forbids smoking or vaping indoors;  please be mindful of proximity to entrances.
  • Do not bring pets or animals to the MMS for the safety of them and others. Service animals (RSA 167-D) are permitted to the extent required by law, though their safety is still a concern around our equipment and materials. Be most excellent to our animal friends.
  • Do not do anything illegal at the Manchester Makerspace.  Any illegal activity at the MMS is grounds for your membership to be terminated.

We expect everyone – members, guests, participants, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, etc – to follow this Code of Conduct, and the usage rules in the “Member Orientation” provided when you join (and updated sporadically) when involved in Makerspace activities. This also includes social events at off-site locations, discussions in related online communities, and interactions on social media. Anyone asked to stop any harassing behavior is expected to comply immediately. Anyone violating this Code of Conduct may be expelled from related activities without a refund, and/or banned from future activities, at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Please bring any concerns to the immediate attention of a Resource Manager or Board Member of MMS. Thank you for your help in keeping Manchester Makerspace a welcoming, respectful, and friendly collaboration venue for everyone.

(This is a snapshot in time, the official code of conduct is the binding version of the code)