Safety Award: What would you like to see?

[Mr. Ivey]

After reading the post titled "2010 Lesson Learned: The Negative" http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=85374 I would like to start a discussion on what people would like to see as a set of possible basic perimeters and above and beyond achievements in safety. Undoubtedly F.I.R.S.T. has a set of basic requirements a team must achieve to gain the Safety Award, but it seems to many here on CD that the original intent of the award has been lost, and that it's mainly a competition of who can yell "ROBOT COMING THROUGH!" the loudest. Now granted it is important that a robot get from the pit to queuing in a safe manor, and that no one be trampled by the cart, but my ears are getting sore from the drilling and music alone at competition, and I don't need a person yelling in my ear that a robot is coming.

Now with that out of the way, what would be some good ideas that you all have for what you would like to see a team that wins the award get. I do not in any way wish to insult the winners of the Safety Awards. What I am getting at is that many teams seem to think the way to win it is to yell that a robot is coming and do it for other teams.

Here are some of what I would outline as the basics for being up for the award:

- All team members are wearing safety glasses at all times in pit.
- Proper and safe attire at all times in pit, as well as training and violation documentation over the course of the year
- Records kept of all accidents over the course of the year and documentation on a cause analysis
- Documentation and certification of tool training of students, and levels based on types of tool: hand tool, power tool, bench tool, etc...
- MSDS Training
- Battery Spill kit and trained user documentation
-Maintaining a safe an organized pit at all times (well as best as can be expected...)
- Fire Extinguisher, eye wash kit, First-Aid Kit, Emergency Burn Kit

Now for the things I would like to see that make a team really stand out:

- Being able to provide other teams safety training material at your pit.
- For the pits that "pop up" hand have a roof and all, let's see a fire suppression system! Dry suppression please, just because you start a fire, doesn't mean I want my cRio all wet!
- Safety Glasses UV container for preventing the spread of germs, and a hand sanitization station! Some of us remember VCU 2004 still, it would have been much safer for us all with some germ reduction precautions.
- A robot cart that has apolite warning system with maybe a light bar of sorts to visually warn us all. And that greatly reduces the amount of lifting and back strain on students.
- Students that actively monitor the level of safety in their pit and make sure that all violations are recorded and coaching is given to assure they do not happen again.

These are just some things I have thrown out as a mentor, I would really rather hear what all the students here on CD think they can do that is really different to promote safety at competition and more importantly at their build space! I know all the guys in green shirts have a good idea what is safe and what isn't, but show more than just what you do at competition. And as a coach I would like to see ways other teams are safe, I'm sure you kids could change my ways of working with students. Heck just read my signature!

Mark