Protecting against liability

[AshWalker]

We are also a 501(c)3 and happen to meet in a machine shop. We pull our insurance through the national machinist's association for around $800 a year. We used the same agent that insures the company that lends us space to help us work things out and it has gone better than I could have expected.

We run every student through a formal safety program and do not allow any unsupervised power tool usage. The fastest way to never be allowed near a tool again is to use one without asking a mentor or not having a mentor supervising. I do not joke around with this.

Finally we use a team contract. It has clauses such as I will not be at the machine shop when the team is not meeting and I will not engage in horse play around the shop. Both the student and the student's parent signs it every year. It leaves the team the right to ask a student to leave the team for behavior issues including unsafe behavior in the shop.