I cannot think of a witty introduction, so I’ll just get to the point.
One idea I had for promoting satey was developing a saftey packet to hand out at the regional events. Unfortunatly, my ideas are running dry, so I thought maybe some of you guys could help me out with my conundrum.
Keep in mind though, I have zero budget (besides stuff I buy myself or is already provided). My thoughts are as follows.
Safety posters
Fire Escape Map
A pair of safety goggles with our Team name somewhere
Maybe a small first aid kit, with bandaids etc. Some other teams, I recall, have given out signs that say like “warning: testing robot” and things like that.
Be wary of this, there can be liability if there is a problem (e.g., an error in your map causes someone to be hurt in a fire…)
But, you’re on the right track: Do something other teams will appreciate.
You don’t nee much of a budget (if any). Safety glasses are expensive. Little hand-out brochures are frequently places on a bench and never looked at.
Posters of “they’re not forehead protectors” or something like that might get some notice.
Actually practicing safety in the pits with a vengeance would be even more impressive. Why not make a few posters, and then volunteer to be the safety captain? Give a short talk to the team about good safety in the pits, then stand around and enforce it with an iron fist. Or an aluminum one.
How often I see teams doing something that’ll get them hurt. I always stop and tell them, usually they listen. In our own pits, I’m brutal, but in 2 years, three regionalks and a chanpionship our wrst injury was one cut, almost too small for a band-aid. (Naturally, we put him in a full-body cast):eek:
An elite safety captain could enforce with a styrofoam fist!
…But back to reality: my team has been crafting signs (inane ones, but still signs!) out of leftover prototyping parts, mainly foamcore and dowels. We’ve been tossing one (it reads “I got the mad flow”) back and forth across the project lab for about a week and a half, and it hasn’t fallen apart yet. I can’t imagine they’re too expensive, and they do hold up really well. If you’re going to make signs, I highly suggest the foamcore / dowel / duct tape construction method.
one more aside: this reminds me of that classic chemistry class poster that says “carol never wore her safety glasses - now she doesn’t need them.” for some reason that has always amused me in a dark way .
What I meant was a printout of the arena map, and the Teams would make their own path and meeting place in case of a fire or accident.
I hav a broomstick I can decorate, than beat people over the head for not following safety rules.
I could always try and make use of my materials after we finish building. And our team colors are Black and Yellow, perfect for using CAUTION! tape. I’ll keep those in mind.
One other thing I’ve thought of recently is a Saftey checklist. You know, something I would use to check the pits every hour, on the hour, for any violations, and a designated “Pit Captain” would sign and verify with me. How should I approach this idea?
I think I speak for everyone when I say that the number one thing on you list should be safety glasses. There are members of Cyber Blue that still have their glasses from their first competition. It’s like an oasis in the middle of the pit area when you find someone passing out safety glasses.
My list (there is more, but I only have so long to write)
Safety Glasses
BE A ROLE MODEL (others will learn best not by pamphlets or posters [yes they still have a place] but by observing a consistently safe team)
Ear protection (many times overlooked, but it can get loud in the pits)
Hard Hats (or some sort of head protection, especially when working under a robot)
Gloves
Proper Shoes
No dangling clothing and Tie back hair
Practice Proper lifts (general rule, try to have a minimum 3 per lift, as always with your knees, and try to incorporate handles into your robot design)
Provide positive criticism/help (try to also bring the positive safety aspects out of the team when addressing that which they could work on, this increases the chances they will listen and learn more as it is then not all negative. if they do an improper lift, don’t have safety glasses, or ear plugs, Gracious Professionalism pretty much says, if they don’t have enough people for a proper lift, offer your help, if they don’t have ear plugs when its noisy offer some)
Presence of Mind
I realize there are many more, and that was just a short list… there are spills and leaks, exit plans, and many many more. Great Work guys with the topic.
Stay Safe
David
I think that what you are doing is a great idea! I recall when i went to a conference on saftey a while ago, that the gave each person a plastic baggy with some band-aids, a few rubbing alcohol swabs (to clean out cuts) and a disposable pack of triple antibiotic for minor injuries! It is a good idea if you have these items, and cost effective if you need to buy anything.
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