The "Safety Glasses/Attack Monkeys/Goggle Nazis" discussion has been interesting.
Being a professional at DuPont, safety is ingrained in each employee. It is part of our job.
When the Miracle Workerz joined FIRST, one our biggest concerns was safety. I know that we cannot control what others do or even how FIRST enforces (or does not enforce) safety rules. However, what we can do is to teach our team members to act safely. We do our best. It is difficult, but it is worth it. We are constantly concerned about the personal tragedy and the future of our program if one of our team members got hurt during the season.
Think about it for a minute, we have industrial strength devices that we are working on for months. During the build phase, we are in a fairly controlled environment. Then we go to a venue where we are in a confined space with 30-60 other groups who are sawing, drilling, routing, etc. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ENVRIONMENT. The least people can do is to wear safety glasses. Yes, they are sometimes very uncomfortable. But losing vision in your right eye will be even more uncomfortable. I do not mean to preach about this, but we all really take for granted that no one will leave the pits on a stretcher after a competition. Teams need to take responsibility for keeping themselves and others as safe as possible.
I was amazed when I saw stream after stream of elementary school students and middle school students shuffling through the pit in Philly. Don't get me wrong. I believe it is a great experience for these youngsters to have. However, if one of them gets hurt, FIRST will suffer.
In Florida, please be safe. The Miracle Workerz will try to have extra safety glasses, but will only be able to bring a limited amount with us.
Let's hope we all leave the pits and the competition as healthy as we entered.
See some of you in Florida.
-J-
