Safety Captain Apprentice Program

[rawashb98]

Hi!
I'm the safety captain for FRC team 5090. The past two years we had a safety captain, who was very good at his job, but this year has been unable to be as active as he was. I took over, and realizing how much work was needed to be done, started developing a safety program. My team consists of myself, a junior, a sophomore, and a freshman.
I've had background with directing people and trainings before, so I quickly realized the effectiveness of this program. I started each of my "apprentices" by having them read through the safety manual, do a walk-through inspection of the room (this resulting in fixing several problems), and writing at least one piece for our newsletter.
I proposed the program like this: Safety FIRST. Our program needs an experienced knowledge base for safety, we don't need to stumble around each year. I quickly recruited someone to each position and had them start reading. They each have a safety captain's vest, and the understanding that when they are the "Senior Safety Captain", they would get to wear the official button. We all work together, and I'm especially pleased with the enthusiasm and the efficiency. Together we've developed a "Safety Exchange" where we invite other teams to come and learn and collaborate about safety.
I'm very excited that a Safety Program is arising. I've been asked to come back next year to mentor and oversee the program after I leave as a student, a position which I am honored to accept.