Three approaches for shaping safety culture in digital fabrication : a research roadmap

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p>There is a lack of safety culture in digital fabrication context which can create hazards to humans, machines, and environment. We outline a research roadmap and call for action for assessing and building safety culture and safety consciousness in the digital fabrication context based on our experiences in studying this topic from practical and theoretical perspectives. Our approach for both mapping the status of safety in digital fabrication practice, as well as advocating the safety consciousness within digital fabrication scene consists of three methods, which provide insights from qualitative, quantitative, and design science perspectives. We believe that the three research methods described provide a holistic understanding on the status of, discourses about, and methods for implementing safety in Fab Labs and other makerspaces worldwide. This understanding will further help in building theories, methods, concepts, and processes for studying and shaping safety culture.</p></div>