Safety Award: What would you like to see?

[Jon Jack]

Since 2006 when they first introduced the UL 'Safety Advisors' I've only met one with whom I have had a positive experience with. For the most part every other safety advisor has been rude, intrusive and far from gracious or professional.

We too have shared many of the same experiences that Cory and his team has. We've had 'safety advisors' literally yelling a kids because they didn't have MSDS sheets or they didn't have a battery spill kit. At one event they even lectured the kids on why they needed to have a AED in our pit. Honestly, our kids don't even like talking to 'safety advisors' anymore.

The award has become a joke. It's turning competitions into something resembling a circus. From kids screaming (with no one even remotely near by) "ROBOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROBOT!!!!!!!!!!!" to every team handing out some kind of flyer that tells me the same information. Seriously, is it really necessary that my team get 50 different flyers on how to be safe in our pit? Do we really need 5 million posters plastered on every wall and bathroom stall reminding you to be safe? After a while, they just become ambient decoration and lose their effect.

Anyways, do you really need an award for being safe? Isn't leaving a competition with all your limbs enough? I know we've never once competed for the 'Safety Award'. We choose to keep our pit clean and safe not because of an award, but because we want a clean pit area that is easy to work in and doesn't pose a safety hazard to our team.