Volunteer Guidelines

Important: All Volunteers Must Read!

Thank you for volunteering! Here are some guidelines to follow during construction on this site.

• Before arriving, be certain that you've printed and signed a Volunteer Waiver. 

• Are you skilled (you’re comfortable with power saws and have used them frequently before) or unskilled? If you are unskilled, do not use power saws.

• Join a crew! Don’t go out on the site if you aren’t on a work crew. If a skilled person from your crew leaves, immediately check with the volunteers sign-in table to have a new skilled worker assigned to your crew.
  
  Children:

  • • Ages 14-17 may work independently on a crew, but MAY NOT use power tools.

    • Ages 10-13 must work alongside a parent. Their safety is your responsibility. If you feel uncomfortable having them work with you, please check them into child care.

    • Ages 3-9 MUST be checked into child care. Click here to sign up for childcare.

    • Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate children below 3 years of age.

• You’ll find these people on the site:

  • Construction Consultants:
    Leathers & Associates consultants are there to answer questions regarding what is being built.

  • Construction Captains:
    Captains are responsible for leading the construction. They take charge of individual work crews. If you have questions about how to accomplish a task, ask a captain.

  • Safety Captain:
    The Safety Captain’s responsibility is to patrol the site and look for safety hazards. Some of the things that they will look for are improper tool use, unsafe work conditions and overexertion. Please comply with any safety concerns they may alert you to.

  • Committee Members:
    There are volunteers from your community who have headed up various areas of responsibility (tools, materials, volunteers, child care and food) for your project. They are there to answer questions you have regarding each of these areas.

  • Please remember: This is a construction site and therefore a potentially dangerous place. Do not use any tool or do any task that you are not completely comfortable with. Be careful not to create an unsafe situation for yourself or others. If you see any situation that you feel is unsafe, immediately call it to the attention of a captain or consultant. You are responsible for your own safety.
    
    Handling Precautions (Gloves, ear plugs, dust masks, and eye protection are available):

    • Avoid frequent or prolonged inhalation of sawdust. When sawing, sanding and machining materials, wear a dust mask. Whenever possible, these operations should be performed outdoors to avoid indoor accumulations or airborne materials.

    • When power-sawing and machining, wear goggles to protect eyes from flying particles.

    • Wear gloves when working with the materials. After working with the wood, and before eating, drinking, toileting, and use of tobacco products, wash exposed areas thoroughly.

    • Because preservatives or sawdust may accumulate on clothes, they should be laundered before reuse. Wash work clothes separately from other household clothing.

    • All sawdust and construction debris should be cleaned up and disposed of after construction.

    • When using solvents and glues, use in well-ventilated areas. Dispose of applicators, sponges and rags in proper containers.