Challenge: Be a Safety Fiend!

[ChrisMcK2186]

I was the team safety captain at VCU and several people were less than thrilled about being told to wear glasses at all times in the pits and to tie up hair but I would much rather not be liked by all and have my entire team return home with all digits and peepers than to be best friend of a team of 4 fingered, eye-patch toting highschoolers.

Some ideas to hold to when being safety captain/nazi:

1)Glasses at all times. Not only FIRST regulations but also common sense. Check with the official safety personel wandering the pits to see what is legal. In VCU if you could see their eyes, it was legal.

2)Keep your area clean. A clean pit translates to a safe pit. You will bot be running around, tripping over power tools and blades looking for the right screw driver. Bring extra tables or convert your crate to a work space.

3) Keep aisles clear. I heard more cluttered aisle complaints by the safety inspectors than any other infraction but goggles. Clear aisles allow for your bot to not get damaged and allows for safe movement around pits.

4) Tape electrical cords to the floor to prevent trip hazards.

5) Wear gloves when handling the crate to avoid splinter, when grinding metal, sanding, or welding, gloves will give you that extra skin you will love.

6) Keep pit workers to a minimum. As much as the entire team wants to help, more people in the pit reduces elbow room, raising the risk of injury. This is the hardest to enforce, so work out a rotation schedule so everybody can touch the bot.

Being the friend of all team mates won't be easy but they will ultimatly be happier if they don't get hurt.

Chris

[Zero-Bee]

Well, I've been dubbed our Safety Czar, do I think that works.

One things that earned our team the Safety Judges award (the one acheived by those who earn the most saftey credits), one thing I always tried to do was escorting other teams. Alot of robots need to move through the pits, and this is especially tough because of all the people. Some teams don't have a very loud vioce. I, on the other hand, am an actor, so I know exactly how to project my voice. I could clear paths for teams, and many captains and safety judges gave me credits for it. I'm not saying you should only do it for the credit potential, but it's a safe practice that needs to be used.

I might hold a workshop on it in the Annapolis Regional. I think it could prove useful.

Another safe practice is a safety inspection. Ever hour and a half, I had a checklist for me to go through. It kept our area very clean, and left a very nice impression on the judges.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I apologzie for using the term Nazi, but I was thinking in terms of the Soup Nazi from that infamous Seinfeld episode... I don't know. Sorry. Wasn't thinking straight.