Before you host or show up
Doing this without anyone getting hurt
Practical, not legal. The rules are on the community rules page.
If you're hosting
Call your insurance agent first. This is the single most useful ten minutes you can spend. Ask specifically: if an unpaid volunteer is injured on my property while helping me with a project, what does my homeowner's policy do? Ask about medical payments coverage and about your liability limit. The answer varies a lot by policy and it's much better to know before than after.
- Walk the site the day before and look at it like a stranger would. Loose steps, low branches, wasp nests, soft ground, the dog.
- Say the hazards out loud when people arrive. Don't assume the listing was read.
- Have water, shade, and a place to sit. Three hours of carrying is longer than it sounds.
- Know where the nearest urgent care is, and keep a real first aid kit on site.
- Don't let momentum push the job past what you posted. If eight people showed up and you're tempted to also get the roof done — don't.
- Nobody operates your equipment without you watching them run it once.
If you're helping
- Tell someone where you're going. The address, the host's name, and when you expect to be back.
- Drive yourself. Don't get stranded somewhere you don't know.
- Read the host's profile before you accept a spot. New hosts with no history aren't automatically a problem, but it's worth a message first.
- Bring your own gloves, boots, and eye protection.
- Know your own limits and say so early. "I'll do the hauling but I'm not going up a ladder" is a completely normal thing to say.
- If the job isn't what was described, or the site feels unsafe, leave. Then hit report on the project so it doesn't happen to the next person.
Both sides
- Drinking and power tools don't mix. Save it for after everything's put away.
- Kids and pets stay clear of the work area.
- If something does go wrong, call for help first and sort out the rest afterward.
- Report anything that felt off, even if nobody got hurt. It's how the moderation queue learns what to watch for.
Work we don't coordinate
These are rejected at review, every time — see the community rules for the full list. The short version: nothing requiring a license, nothing above single-story eave height, no gas, no felling, no structural demolition, no hazardous material.