safety glasses??why?? [Archive]

Eugenia Gabrielov

01-05-2006, 00:51

Tom makes a great point, and another one to consider involves simply moving the robot. This year, there didn't seem as many prevalent appendages, and the game pieces weren't too violently damaging to ones person. However, last year's robots often had arms, and the tetras were always swinging.

You may not expect a situation to be unsafe, but your body will regret it when you lose your eyes. Just wear your safety glasses. They can be stylish, too!

Jeremiah Johnson

01-05-2006, 01:10

I always where safety glasses. Well... my glasses are safety approved but I still wear side sheilds. Today I reinforced this issue when my Dremel too's metal cutting blade shattered and hit me in the jugular and eyes. Thank God the blades aren't serrated or I might not be typing this right now. I'm being serious too. Safety is nothing to mess around with. I advise wearing them in the stands sometimes too. I was hit with a team flag once. Anyways... this is a question that shouldn't need to be asked. Anytime there are fasteners, high schoolers, and motors involved. Something is bound to fly off and hit your eyes. Wear your safety glasses!!!1

Have I proven my point yet?

sanddrag

01-05-2006, 01:11

we arent allowed to cut, grind, weld, drill or use almost any power tools in the pit any moreAt what regional did you experience these rules? No cutting? No drilling? No power tools? No grinding and welding is understandable but I've never heard of no cutting and no drilling rules. I've used a drill, bandsaw, and drill press, etc in the pit space many times. I've even seen teams with a milling machine in their pit space. One thing I think FIRST should rule out though is circular saws in the pit space. I think that gets a little dangerous.

Anyway, I use to be your way, thinking "why the heck do I need these? I'm more prone to cutting off my finger because I can't see through these darn things" but then I changed. I wear regular glasses all the time. I didn't used to wear safety glasses. Then I realized just how many times my regular glasses saved my sight and I realized how easy it would have been for the flying piece of metal or whatever to enter on the side of my glasses and I thought I'd better start wearing safety glasses.

I've been in numerous situations of no apparant danger where glasses of some sort have ended up saved my eye(s) for some reason or another.

Now, I will admit, if I'm doing something that I need a really clear view of, which presents no real danger to my eyes, I will remove safety glasses and use my real glasses only to get a better/closer look. But some kind of glasses are always necessary.

I used to even put my face inches from a lathe chuck at 600 rpm without safety glasses but then I started to wonder what might happen if I accidentally left the chuck key in there or if the workpiece came loose or if the tool hit the chuck or something and now I wear the safety glasses (over my regular glasses.)

It is better to wear them and never need them than to not wear them and go blind. Generally speaking, blindness is not (yet) a recoverable injury.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I too have had a Dremel cutoff wheel shatter and hit my glasses. Luckily that was after I was "converted"

Katie Reynolds

01-05-2006, 01:17

this year even though we werent using the equipment.. we had it under the table put away Just because you're not using power tools in your pit doesn't mean the team next to you has everything put away! You'd be amazed how far a piece of shattered dremel-disc can fly!

During the build season, I was teaching a student about chains and told her to remove the masterlink. She used a screwdriver to pry it off, and when the piece came loose it would have hit her in the eye - had she not been wearing safety glasses. Before that day, she never understood why I was so diligent that students (and mentors alike) *always* wear safety glasses when working on robot parts - no matter how large or important - she gets it now. :)

A mentor this season was working underneath the robot, tightening something on our transmissions, when a long-lost blot fell from somewhere. His first words after getting hit with it were, "Man! Good thing I had my safety glasses on - that would've gone right in my eye!" I've also been a victim of dremel blade shrapnel and it's not fun!

In our pit (and in the pits, in general, at any event my team has attended) there is always drilling, grinding, sawzalling, dremeling, aluminum shavings all around, tools ever-present, etc. Even if it doesn't seem there is an immediate, pressing need to wear your safety glasses, the potential for disaster (and eye loss!) is lurking around the corner. Don't be a victim - wear your safety glasses! :)

Mike Betts

01-05-2006, 06:13

This practice has evolved from the workplace with both regulatory agencies (OSHA, et cetera) and financial agencies (insurance companies, et cetera) pushing companies to adopt strict "blanket" safety policies.

Long ago, it was recognized that requiring all employees and visitors on the "shop" floor to always wear safety glasses removed the chance that an unprotected person would inadvertently wander into an area where a hazardous operation was taking place and be hurt. It also removes the "judgment" factor: "I didn't think it was all that dangerous".

Bottom line: If it did not result in measurable differences in casualties, companies would not pay for the glasses.

Last word: As "handicapped accessible" and non-discriminatory as we think we have become, no one will hire a blind engineer...

Regards,

Mike

anna~marie

01-05-2006, 07:50

I am a huge fan of safety glasses. In our pits there is always something going on, and accidents happen. I am accident prone, insanely so, and safety glasses have saved my vision. So even though they may seem like a hassle, they are really good. Next time you don't want to wear them, just look around at what people are doing and watch how many things are flying around (and that includes robot parts and tools)

Beth Sweet

01-05-2006, 08:59

The easy answer? For when my students call my name, I turn around and am pummelled with 3 poof balls.

The real answer? Because you are working with wayyyyyy too much stuff that at any second can go ::boing:: and wack you in the eyes.

Al Skierkiewicz

01-05-2006, 09:39

Simple answer...
You only have two and they don't grow back. Next question?

i_am_Doug

01-05-2006, 10:37

Safety glasses are frickin sweet. why NOT wear them?

And they do help alot by savein' your eyes from misc things hitting them AND sometimes poofballs :D
So, wear or be square.
DarkerCrimson, where did you experiance those rules?

Rohith Surampudi

01-05-2006, 12:02

Safety Glasses represent the pits at a FIRST competition,

i asked the same question at my first regional competition, and at the end of the day i found pieces of metal embedded in them from sources of which i was clueless. There is also the possibility that a part could go flying from tension, chemicals could squirt into your face, or the possibility that you could walk into a protruding object.

either way, safety glasses aren't too much of a hassle, and they should be worn whether you believe they are necessary or not, just in case something does go wrong.

KenWittlief

01-05-2006, 12:15

Each robot in the pits is allowed to have up to 2HP of electic motors, plus the energy stored in the pnuematics, and any compressed spring mechanisms

and the team spaces are only 10 feet apart. That is a lot of powerfull experimental machinery running / testing / debugging / breaking / fixing in confined quarters!

JohnBoucher

01-05-2006, 12:15

I got poked in the face by someone carrying a banner on a pole. It missed my safety glasses, but was close.

I invested in a pair of cheaters http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/87544.aspx

Now I have no excuses...;)

Gabe

01-05-2006, 12:41

why do we have to wear safety glasses??
Nail this into your head: Safety glasses prevent small objects, sometimes at high velocities, from damaging your precious eyes. Ever priced an eye lately? ;)

Assuming your regional was an exception, they usually allow the following:
-grinding using Dremel bits, NOT angle grinders or bench grinders.
-hand drill, both corded and cordless, are allowed. Just as long as you are not abusing it, like using a 4" hole saw on a 1/4" drill.
-sawing with a hacksaw, jigsaw, or reciprocating saw. No bandsaws, including portable bandsaws.

Keep in mind that you way not be actually doing anything, but you neighbor next to you may be shooting a staple gun for fun. :eek: In a perfect world everyone would act in such a safe manner that we would not need to wear safety glasses, but we aren't in a perfect world, are we? Wear COMFORTABLE safety glasses or else I'll bite your head off. :D

What came first: the student or the mentor?

gburlison

01-05-2006, 13:28

Safety glasses deflected a plastic cable tie that one of our students was cutting. Would have hit me in the eye.

Lil' Lavery

01-05-2006, 13:36

I have been hit by broken dremel bits, drill bits, jig saw blades, flying screws, robots, poof balls, tetras, and all sorts of stuff. The biggest reason I still have my two eyes is because of my goggles.
And I wasn't even the one to break most of the bits, blades etc! (I think my team is out to get me... :p )

neo

01-05-2006, 19:42

i love wearing my safety glasses. i wasn't even the safety guy on the team and was yelling at my teammates to get them on when they didnt have them, or when we were entering the pit area.

the only problem i experianced was the constant fogging up. i sweat like a pig. and i have long hair. the top would get foggy and i couldnt see most of the field when i looked up from getting a ball. and after every match i was grabbing for my autodesk bandana (thank god for those things) to wipe away all the perspiration.

chrisinmd

01-05-2006, 20:49

Everyone above me has given great reasons for wearing safety glasses.

My dad always tried to show me how to be safe when I was little, and it has benefited me greatly. He is in charge of safety (among other things) at his work (excavating contractor), and he always made sure I had safety glasses, hearing protection, and the like, when I was working on stuff around home. The hearing protection is second nature when I mow the lawn or operate large equipment, as are the safety glasses whenever working at the shop at home or school, as well as FIRST events. I did have, among others, a dremel wheel explode on me and those things really do fly! There is no excuse for stubbornness or laziness. Long story short, if you can't take the second to put safety glasses on, you have no business in the shop, or anywhere else they are required (FIRST events).

-Chris

DonRotolo

01-05-2006, 21:29

Most of the folks who don't like their safety glasses are wearing cheap ones. Those $1.98 specials will protect your eyes, but they slightly distort your vision and cause a headache. Or they fit wrong and hurt your nose/ears/temples. Or they fog up....

The point is: Cheap Glasses are just that. If you got them for free, expect to get what you paid for.

Invest $10 in a hallf-decent pair of safety glasses, and (believe it or not) after a short while you will literally forget they are on. In one of our factories it is mandatory to wear glasses all the time - even in the cafeteria (!) - so you never see folks with cheap glasses. Good Glasses are just that.

Don

MattK

01-05-2006, 21:34

I can not even count how many times I have said under my breath "hmm wow thank god I was wearing my safty glasses"

common guys its just a good habbit to get into...

EricH

01-05-2006, 22:37

Invest $10 in a hallf-decent pair of safety glasses, and (believe it or not) after a short while you will literally forget they are on.... Good Glasses are just that.Go to your local hardware store. Get a decent pair. Keep them from getting dirty by washing them (soap and warm water, then dry with a towel). Get a case to protect them when they aren't on your eyes. You should be able to wear them comfortably all day.

Donut

02-05-2006, 00:14

Safety glasses are good anti-robot protection. I've had a corner of the robot from this year smack point first into my safety glasses, saved alot of hurt to my eye and probably the cost of buying new normal glasses as well, since they were under the safety ones.

s_forbes

02-05-2006, 23:09

EricH

03-05-2006, 00:41

I personally think that safety glasses are a bit overdone. I totally agree with wearing safety glasses when cutting/drilling/grinding, but it just bothers me that I have to wear them when I do such dangerous tasks as putting stickers on the robot or sorting through my pocket change. This is mainly because I have prescription glasses and those huge goggles annoy the heck out of me.OK, first off, you wear prescription glasses normally. IF they are polycarbonate, you only need side shields. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? I know of at least one person who has prescription safety glasses.

Second, just because all you are doing is, say, looking at the robot, that doesn't mean that someone else in your pit, or the neighboring pit, or the pit across the aisle is not doing something that could throw bits of material into your pit, and quite possibly into your eyes.For argument's sake, let's assume they are drilling plastic, say PVC. Now, PVC has a tendency to form a plastic mass on the drill bit, made up of "strings" of PVC, and these occaisionally fly off. (Metal does the same under certain conditions, and tends to fly off even farther.) One of those "strings" leaves a drill bit in the pit next door, and flies into your eyes at high speed before you can stop it. You are not wearing safety glasses, and it has enough momentum/energy/force to shatter your normal glasses. Now you have bits of glass in your eyes, as well as plastic. You could lose your sight.
Admittedly, this is a bit far fetched. I use it to make a point--and it could potentially happen with metal.

So, even if you don't understand the reason behind the rule, follow it. Would you rather put up with discomfort for three days, or suffer discomfort for the rest of your life?

EricH

03-05-2006, 00:58

i have a question
if we arent allowed to cut, grind, weld, drill or use almost any power tools in the pit any more
why do we have to wear safety glasses??
this year even though we werent using the equipment.. we had it under the table put away
they made us take them out of pit
its getting kinda weird Now that someone has agreed with this, I will respond: If you encountered a no cutting rule, a no drilling rule, or a no using power tools rule, you need to speak with the person who told you about said rule. No Grinding and No Welding are in the manual, and a place (usually the machine shop) has been designated for those (as well as any other activity that intentionally produces sparks). But to my knowledge, the only time you can't cut, drill, or use power tools is when you can't be in the pit. If you were told to remove your power tools, you should have politely pointed out that power tool use was allowed (unless it was a venue-specific rule, in which case, agitate for a different venue).

dhitchco

18-09-2006, 11:32

We bought really cool red-framed safety glasses in bulk for the 2006 season (found good selection and prices at www.safetyglassesusa.com). They really can become part of your team's uniform.

Safety glasses are indeed available with a wide variety of presecription strengths (e.g. www.duluthtrading.com) for contractors, etc. They may not be exotic presecriptions, but basic 2X cheater magnifiers.

Safety glasses are like seat belts. yes, they're REQUIRED by a FIRST rule, but after a while they become automatic just like seat belts in cars. There are so many things going on that it's just stupid to risk even one accident in the pits without safety glasses.

I can't even go to my factory at work without safety glasses even though I'm 20 feet away from anything walking the aisles.

At FIRST, we also need to be good and teach this lesson to the younger FLL kids that come and visit our pits...it sets a good GP example.

KenWittlief

18-09-2006, 11:51

I've worked on things for long enough to realize what is the safe way to do something and what is dangerous. I work on bikes and cars and other mechanical things at home without wearing safety glasses because I know how to work on things carefully so that they don't explode and fly across the room...

You have worked on things for several years, and have accumulated several man-years of experience on what is potentially dangerous.

The industrial standards imposed for the use of safety glasses and other protection equipment is based on millions of people working in industrial environments for over a hundred years. By contrast your personal experience is 0.0000000000001% of the knowledge accumulated by the people who impose these rules.

I also sense a bit of protective ego in your post, the part of us that says "I know what Im doing, and Im carefull when I need to be carefull". This is not a bad thing, self confidence is necessary or we would never venture into a shop and use dangerous tools. But being carefull, being intelligent, and depending on your own experience is the same path that many other good people also followed, right up to the instant when they lost an eye or a hand.

Its the stuff you dont know about, the things you dont expect to shatter, the thing you never knew had a coiled spring inside that blows open in your face and gets you. Thats why many shops have signs at all the entrances: Safey glasses required beyond this point, because with all the variables that are out of your control, if you are present in that area, you are in harms way.

LightWaves1636

18-09-2006, 12:34

even if you're not cutting, welding, or anything like that, it's better to be safe than sorry. Because there's not just one team working, there's a lot more and anything's possible. Like when cutting the excess off the zip ties, those things can really fly. Plusto add in the chaos FIRST gives everyone. (I can't wait for 2007 :) )

s_forbes

18-09-2006, 12:35

I know exactly where you guys are coming from, I'm usually way safer than I need to be. But I still stand by my original post, and I will continue to tinker on my own time without wearing safety glasses unless I see fit.

I thought it also might be worth mentioning that I have always worn my goggles when in the pits at a competition, and I wore them when working on the robot at our teams shop. Just because I don't completely agree with the rules doesn't mean I don't follow them.

OK, first off, you wear prescription glasses normally. IF they are polycarbonate, you only need side shields. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? I know of at least one person who has prescription safety glasses.

Actually, I would much rather wear real goggles than those things. In the cases when I'm working on something where there is a significant chance of getting something in my eye (grinding, using the drill press, etc.) I want to have my eyes safe. Metal shards have no problem flying in over your glasses.

Sorry if I came off as some rebelious punk earlier, I didn't mean it. :)

Nitroxextreme

18-09-2006, 17:12

Safety glasses are a must not only in the pit, but anytime you are near a robot.

I do have one question though....why do you not like safety glasses that much? If you are so against them in the pits...I can only assume that you do not wear them during the build season.

I can understand where you may see a cheap pair as uncomfortable and causing messed up vision. However, If you have been involved in FIRST for any time then you would definately have a set of you own safety glasses that you could forget you were wearing.

Cody Carey

18-09-2006, 17:23

Why do I wear safety glasses? Because I enjoy being able to see. I have had numerous peices of metal thrown/shot/rubber-banded into my eyes, by robots, power-tools, and teammates. My safety glasses are the only reason my eyeballs is still in my head.

capof541

18-09-2006, 19:52

safety glasses on my team thats the first thing we stress being we started out at a trade school it was what we learned walking in the door so it was beat in our heads and the NASA engineers never let us for get that. but safety glasses have save me in other ways like grinding disks flying at me, but my favorite was when i put my glasses on my head cause i couldn't see and was under our tongue for our flipping arm in 2005 and the engineer manually pressed the button on the solenoid and 25 pounds of pressure came flying down on my head it luckily hit my safety glasses

CraigHickman

18-09-2006, 20:01

We were doing some milling with a bad rotary table, and the endmill shattered.... Sending very hot pieces of Carbide into my glasses, arms, and chest. Come by 114's pit some regional and I'll show you the scars.

Had I not been wearing my glasses, I probably would've lost my eyesight.

(as a second note, NEVER use a rotary table unless you know it's in perfect condition... it was scary to have that endmill fly apart.)

yodameister

18-09-2006, 22:02

I can only assume that you do not wear them during the build season.

Please do not assume such things...It makes an *bleep* out of you and me :) . Eye safety was our number one priority when we were working in the shop. I am very strict about safety, I'm sure that s_forbes will agree with this statement.

Eric Finn

18-09-2006, 22:09

Although I have never personally had anything fly at me or seen anything flying at somebody (other than poof balls) in FIRST, I still wear my safety goggles.
I recently bought a $6 pair of safety goggles which fit over my glasses at a local hardware store, I can see perfectly out of them, and they don't fog up.

I see no reason not to wear a pair of safety goggles. If the only ones you have access to are scratched up and dirty, then get your own.

s_forbes

18-09-2006, 22:40

Please do not assume such things...It makes an *bleep* out of you and me :) . Eye safety was our number one priority when we were working in the shop. I am very strict about safety, I'm sure that s_forbes will agree with this statement.

I would completely agree with that statement! :P

sporno

09-10-2006, 16:14

i was the same way i didnt like saftey goggles.. them i dropped a can of aircraft remover and it sprayed my face .. now aircraft remover takes paint off of metal .. it was on my face and in my eyes.. now i awalys wear satey goggles.. one time i was wearign them and a drill bit broke and hit the goggles..just wear them.. $@#$@#$@#$@# happens

prettycolors91

09-10-2006, 17:36

why wouldn't you? I LOVE my safety glasses (i painted them our team colors--which makes it even more fun). I'm a chairman's kid, so I don't have to worry too much about flying things, but when your rushing around regionals trying to find your mentors to give them scouting before your next match and your not paying attention, bad things can happen. safety glasses prevent the badness from taking away your vision.

plus, they come in especially handy when eating pineapple with steak knives at the steak & ale reseaurant (story by PM request...)