Kamen & Flower's Saftey Violations: Kickoff

[travmizer]

So am I the only one who noticed that in the montage of game design there was some serious safely glasses violations? Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers were both on a feild with robots sans safety glasses...

[Chrono101]

The robots they make for the demo videos generally don't have very many moving parts, I doubt they were very dangerous.

I prefer to go with the statement of "Safety Always, not Safety First".

Although Safety First works much better for obvious marketing reasons.

[JackG]

If I wanted to nitpick, I could also point out how that robot nearly ran into Dean or how Dean stuck his hand into what looked like a live robot. But you see I don't want to nitpick, so I won't point that stuff out. Instead, I'll simply say that their safety errors were hardly egregious and weren't something I even noticed the first time.

Nothing to see here, move along.

[mnajork]

They want us to wear gloves when we work too, and they didn't say anything about not wearing gloves while machining. Wearing those leather gloves while milling is extremely dangerous. Instead of you getting a small cut on your finger (without gloves), your hand could get pulled into the mill. Basic safety.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by mnajork

They want us to wear gloves when we work too, and they didn't say anything about not wearing gloves while machining. Wearing those leather gloves while milling is extremely dangerous. Instead of you getting a small cut on your finger (without gloves), your hand could get pulled into the mill. Basic safety.

Very true. And the same applies to drill presses, lathes, grinders, and several other power tools.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Very true. And the same applies to drill presses, lathes, grinders, and several other power tools.

Definitely. If I had worn gloves while using the lathe for the last few years, I probably would have maybe 3 fewer fingers, as opposed to small scratches and broken nails (despite heavy safety precautions, hey, things still happen). Even though wearing gloves while machining is dangerous, you still must ALWAYS pay attention to your work, and work as safely as you possibly can.

[DonRotolo]

In those cases where rotating machinery precludes gloves, the best habit is to vigilantly pay attention. A cut or abrasion is simply the result of inattention, always. Think about safety always and even the little cuts go away.

Come look at my hands during build season, you'll see what I mean.

[Chexposito]

really? is this even necessary to nitpick about?

[gblake]

Originally Posted by Chexposito

really? is this even necessary to nitpick about?

Yes.

[JMT]

What I want to know is why FIRST allows teams to only have two people carry the robot on to the competition field. I saw yesterday that every time the GDC picked up a robot they had three people lift the robot. From the safety regulations I have seen, FIRST should require three people to carry the robot on and off the field.

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by JMT

What I want to know is why FIRST allows teams to only have two people carry the robot on to the competition field. I saw yesterday that every time the GDC picked up a robot they had three people lift the robot. From the safety regulations I have seen, FIRST should require three people to carry the robot on and off the field.

Currently, the field gates only allow for two people to safely carry the robot on. (Unless they've widened the gate this year? I haven't looked that closely at that part of the field).

I'm guessing they figure it's safer for two people to go through the gate than to have a third person (carrying part of the robot) trip and fall while trying to step over the railing. I've had a robot come crashing down on my knee before- I was on crutches for the rest of build season and it was awful.

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by JMT

What I want to know is why FIRST allows teams to only have two people carry the robot on to the competition field. I saw yesterday that every time the GDC picked up a robot they had three people lift the robot. From the safety regulations I have seen, FIRST should require three people to carry the robot on and off the field.

Imagine that three robots are in the midfield at the end of the match. If three people from each team go pick the robot, thats 9 team members. Two Field reset crew members would also be in the midfield collecting the balls. And at least four Refs would be in the midfield helping/watching the team members remove the robots from the towers. Not to mention that the new teams will be entering the field and placing their robots into position.

That's a load of people in a relatively small space surrounded by field edges and tall bumps. Hazard waiting to happen. 2 per team is plenty.

[joek]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Imagine that three robots are in the midfield at the end of the match. If three people from each team go pick the robot, thats 9 team members. Two Field reset crew members would also be in the midfield collecting the balls. And at least four Refs would be in the midfield helping/watching the team members remove the robots from the towers. Not to mention that the new teams will be entering the field and placing their robots into position.

That's a load of people in a relatively small space surrounded by field edges and tall bumps. Hazard waiting to happen. 2 per team is plenty.

the only time you'd possibly need more is when you're removing the bot from the tower

[vic burg]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Imagine that three robots are in the midfield at the end of the match. If three people from each team go pick the robot, thats 9 team members. Two Field reset crew members would also be in the midfield collecting the balls. And at least four Refs would be in the midfield helping/watching the team members remove the robots from the towers. Not to mention that the new teams will be entering the field and placing their robots into position.

That's a load of people in a relatively small space surrounded by field edges and tall bumps. Hazard waiting to happen. 2 per team is plenty.

I agree. This might sound crazy but even having 2 members per team is too much. But I know each team needs two, and I am not discouraging from that. Though I would not really see a problem with maybe 1 or 2 of the teams having a third person, if all 6 teams had an extra person, that means on average we would have about 35 people on the field (if you count 4 refs, 3 members times 6, 6 scorers, then 5-7 field reset people) We already have almost 30 people on the field normally but this year it would be harder, since the field is broken up into sections, that means 10 people in a 342 square foot area. (If my calculations are correct). And then the two robots that are most likely going to be in that area, which takes away about 24 sq. ft., plus one team is bound to bring in a cart which can take up about 18 sq. ft., not to mention any balls that will be on the floor, so we'll take away about 5 sq. ft. for that, which leaves us with 294 sq. ft. for 10 people to move around in. (I can't believe I just calculated that.) But then if we add in the extra 6, that means 12 people to 294 sq. ft.
There is also a higher tripping hazard for us mere humans with the bumpers (though the only ones who should be attempting that would be the refs, scorers, and field reset) and that is no good when we add 6 more bodies. Just not a good idea to me.


Did that even make sense to anyone?

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by JMT

What I want to know is why FIRST allows teams to only have two people carry the robot on to the competition field.

What rule is this?