3. Keeping your party safe
Every public event carries with it some risk. However, we can reduce this risk by thinking about safety in advance. Please follow these tips:
DO’s
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DO make sure you have public liability insurance. Please don’t host a Restart Party without it. If you do don’t have your own insurance, you could join forces with an existing community group who do, and check that it covers you before you start
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DO put disclaimers on your online announcements, and on all of the tables at your party. You’ll find some text for these below.
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DO designate one Restarter as your Safety Volunteer - somebody with more experience, particularly with electricals. This volunteer plays a role before and during Restart Parties. Make sure new Restarters sit next to this person!
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DO make sure that your Restarters read (and sign) the technical safety guidelines.
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DO safety test your equipment before it leaves a Restart Party. We encourage groups to look into acquiring safety-testing equipment when they have the resources. Standards are different in each country.
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DO ask us any questions that aren’t answered here. We have more in-depth information on liability and risk. If this is a concern to you, please contact us directly.
DON’Ts
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DON’T do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. This goes for everything - from fixes you don’t feel confident with, to conversations or people you don’t feel comfortable with. Always ask your other Restarters for help.
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DON’T let anyone drink or take drugs at your event. Electrics can be dangerous – it’s important that everyone is alert. (It’s not that sort of party).
Disclaimer & safety guidelines
We suggest printing out these for each table at your party:
We’re happy to help you learn how to repair.
We are not repair professionals, and Restart Parties are a community self-repair space.
Attending means that you take responsibility for your own gadget. Please back up your data.
Please donate to support our work!
This is available for download, here.
New Volunteers and Safety
If you’re welcoming new Restarters/fixers to volunteer at your party, please direct them to the Technical Safety Guidelines. Make sure they’ve read and signed a copy.
More information
For more guidance on safety, risk and insurance, refer to this separate topic:
