this year we have alot of freshmen on the team and members who havent ever done something like this, and we want to make sure safety is HUGE issue for everyone. so we would be more than happy for any safety tips that we can pass on to them.
such as:
*smoothen all sharp edges
*always wear gloves (unless drilling a hole)
*no baggy clothes
*tie back long hair
*no open toed shoes (prefierably steel toes)
*no horseplay
*any accidents are to be reported to either the shop boss or safety captain
*keep all heads, noses, fingers and toeses out of the machinery
*put things back from where you got them
*clean up any spills
*properly dispose of any materials
*AND ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO STOP AND LOOK AT WHAT YOURE DOING AND ASK “DOES THIS LOOK SAFE?”
ADD: Do not talk to anyone who is on a machine and when you are on a machine.
…it helps lol
Make sure everyone doing something has proper personal space to do it (i.e. don’t crowd anyone while they are working with something potentially dangerous.)
This includes making sure your code has proper white space! 
You should actually modify this to be wear gloves, unless using any power tool or machine. Wearing gloves while doing either is incredibly dangerous.
Add: Make sure everyone is well clear of the robot, the wheels/treads/feet/snakes/whatever traction device are off the ground, and someone has their finger on the disable switch when you turn on the robot after loading new code.
Last summer this was covered quite a bit. Start here to learn more
http://first.wpi.edu/Workshops/2006workshopsandconferences.html
A safety presentation is on that site- “Safety FIRST” by Kirksey, Marshall
We had to make presentations to all sub-groups and then each team member had to complete and hand in a safety test based on the knowledge gained from the slideshow.
The most important one of all: SAFETY GLASSES at all times.
Make sure that everyone knows never to obstruct access to the (big) red buttons on machines. Those tend to be the emergency off buttons.
Take chuck keys out of chucks, period. You don’t want a chuck key flying across the room–sweep bar dials are bad enough.
Keep your tools in good condition. Sharp tools work better than dull ones and have less of a tendency to slip. Files and saws with broken teeth don’t work as well as ones without. For that matter, tools in good condition tend to make cleaner cuts and require less filing than tools in bad condition.
Steel toes are not necessary, but if someone has them, great. Some good solid leather-type shoes will probably suffice. I sometimes wear hiking boots–those are plenty sturdy for a FIRST competition build. Canvas shoes might not be such a good idea
Does anyone think that you should always have some sort of machining buddy or supervision? Just curious.
As Cory mentioned, this should be altered, if not removed completely. Wearing gloves when using power tools is a BAD IDEA. Gloves are just add more risk of getting caught in tools. Check these threads for some more detailed stories/reasons.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53627&highlight=gloves+safety
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50465&highlight=gloves+safety
and there are plenty more
Absolutely. The cardinal rule when working with machinery is never EVER work alone.
YIKES and running shoes (which i normally wear since i have old ones from cross country that are too used to run in comfortably) with those mesh tops are horrible. I would suggest getting some type of shoe with a stiff toe (steel or hard rubber) like found in hiking boots
Definitely no mesh. Steel toes are a little overkill for this application. Solid toe, no mesh, and if you wear open toe you’re gone. (Though if you want a steel toe, you could always make some form of overshoe for those applications.)
I normally wear solid-toed cross-trainers, and have never had a problem. Hiking boots are kind of the exception for me–either long standing around or lots of risk of getting something dropped onto my foot.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a site at http://www.osha.gov/ that is probably the best possible resource on safety. There are compilations of best practices for just about any environment.
The practices and recommendations found on that site and in other OSHA publications are established because they are well researched by credible organizations; not arbitrary and off the top of the head.
Good luck,
~Phil