Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri
I've seen this conversation happen a few times on CD and this hits the nail on the head. I like the idea that we as a community should focus on safety more. I don't like that it is incentivized with an award. This is just asking for teams to go "above and beyond".
Make safety a requirement, not an incentive, and the problem will go away.
EDIT: The "problem" in question is people doing things like posting flyers and screaming robot. I'm still not quite sure what do to about overzealous safety advisors.
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Totally agree.
FYI, at last year's championship I saw a safety advisor tell students to yell "ROBOT" and I told him that there are a lot of people who disagree with that practice and briefly explained why. I did it as politely as possible and then thanked him for volunteering as a safety advisor. I felt a little sheepish confronting him about it, but I think it would be a good thing if people tactfully opened up that conversation when they see people encouraging counterproductive and annoying practices.
Another anecdote: once our team attended an event with a team that engaged in a variety of safety theater practices, and as it happened, their drive team caused a dangerous incident in the practice field that was probably the most unsafe thing that happened at the whole event. Then they naturally won the safety award. I think this is an example of why safety theater should not be rewarded, and why the incentive structure that currently exists doesn't necessarily produce the results that we want it to.