Everyone is human, and we try not to unreasonably penalise or reprimand people for genuine mistakes. However, patterns of mistakes or more serious instances of bad behaviour need to be dealt with appropriately. Our Bad Behaviour policy is how we do that.
The way we identify bad behaviour is with an Infraction. An Infraction is our way of identifying that you breached one of our policies or expectations, and recording that for future reference. By default, there is no penalty attached to an Infraction. Members are encouraged to report all behaviour that may be worthy of an infraction.
If an Infraction is serious enough to warrant some form of penalty, or a pattern of bad behaviour is identified, an Infraction may be accompanied by a penalty. A penalty will usually be an Access Suspension but may be another form of "making good" such as cleaning up a mess or paying for a tool that was damaged.
A penalty usually won't be in the form of a fine or monetary penalty unless there was a direct cost to BMS such as a broken tool due to negligence. In this case, any monetary penalty must not be greater than the actual cost incurred by BMS. Fines are not an equitable penalty in most cases and we avoid them.
A penalty may come in the form of an Access Suspension. This does not change your membership status - you are still a member and must follow policies. However, during the Access Suspension period, you are not permitted to:
- Come on site without written permission from BMS. It is our absolute discretion to allow you to come on-site during this time (for example, to collect personal belongings).
- Use any BMS resource or facility other than our online services like member portal or Discord.
During an access suspension, you are required to maintain your membership by paying your fees. If you do not wish to pay membership while you have an Access Suspension, you can cancel your membership.
The Infraction Schedule below contains a list of behaviours that will likely receive an infraction. Each Infraction is accompanied by a suggested penalty, but the actual penalty issued may be slightly different depending on the situation.
Each time an additional Infraction is issued in a category, the penalty should become more severe. Each category outlines the expected escalation of a penalty and should be treated separately from each other.
Once a member has been issued with the maximum number of Infractions in any category, they are required to show cause as to why their membership shouldn't be cancelled. This is 4x offences for Category 1, 3x for Category 2, and 2x for Category 3.
These Infractions are minor, and first offences should not be accompanied by an Access Suspension penalty. However, after the first offence, each additional offence should be accompanied by an Access Suspension going from 1 week, to 2 weeks, then up to 4 weeks.
- Not cleaning up after yourself (e.g. leaving a mess and not tidying the area that you used).
- Not locking up or securing the site properly.
- Not reporting a safety or maintenance issue that you discovered.
- Leaving a battery charging unattended.
- Causing minor (repairable) damage to a tool due to accidental misuse or negligence.
- Causing BMS to breach any condition of our lease not already defined in a category.
- Any other minor breach of a policy not already defined in a category.
- Doing something that needs to be added to this Category.
These Infractions are more severe than Category 1, and first offences should be accompanied by an Access Suspension penalty. Each offence should be accompanied by an Access Suspension going from 2 weeks, to 4 weeks, then up to 2 months.
- Not reporting a safety or maintenance issue that you caused or contributed to (e.g. you broke a tool and didn't report it). This includes making and leaving dangerous items like exposed extension cords, etc.
- Causing a significant nuisance to BMS such as engaging in Unreasonable Complainant Conduct as defined by the Federal Ombudsman.
- Using a tool contrary to its official process or without meeting all of its induction requirements (such as using it without being inducted or up to date on training).
- Intentionally using a tool in an unsafe manner, or a manner which is likely to damage it.
- Leaving a tool running and leaving the immediate area (except for tools allowed to be left unattended like some 3D printers).
- Modifying a tool, including performing maintenance, without the consent of BMS (except for things permitted as per its wiki page).
- Allowing another person (whether or not they are a member) to use facilities they are not entitled to such as swiping on a tool for them.
- Performing unlicensed electrical work or working on high voltage projects (including fractal burning) that are illegal under QLD state law.
- Accessing BMS facilities without being a member (other than during public events or public facilities like Discord) or during an Access Suspension you received because of overdue fees.
- Any other major breach of a policy not already defined in a category.
- Doing something that needs to be added to this Category.
These Infractions are major, and first offences should be treated seriously. Every offence should be accompanied by an Access Suspension going from 1 month, then 3 months.
- Anything illegal, including, but not limited to:
- Physical or verbal assault of another person.
- Using or being under the influence of illicit substances.
- Using or being under teh influence of alcohol while using or attempting to use any tool.
- Serious harassment or threatening another person.
- Access BMS facilities during an Access Suspension you received because of an Infraction.
- Not completing a required action as part of an Infraction penalty (e.g., not cleaning up a mess you were required to, etc.).
- Attempting (whether you are successful or not) to cover up, hide, or seriously misrepresent an incident.
- Using a tool in a way that is likely to cause serious personal injury or death (e.g. using a lathe with the chuck key installed, or removing a safety guide/barrier from a tool in an unreasonable situation).
- Defeating a safety interlock or access system to use a tool or resource you are not entitled to, or in an unsafe way.
- Severely damaging any of our tools due to intentional misuse or unreasonable negligence.
- Doing something that needs to be added to this Category.