I’m trying to help with Pit safety and i want to see what everyone else is doing so I can also understand on what’s needed in the pit
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Besides for the required safety glasses in the pits, a few good things to include are:
- A first aid kit (Ideal for the times when your robot decides to bite you)
- Work gloves (Durable ones for moving the robot around, general hand protection)
- Fire extinguisher (Just in case, good to have on hand)
- Disposable gloves (Good to have, especially for handling grease and the like. Not necessarily safety)
- Battery Spill Kit (Baking Soda, a thick plastic container for containing heavily acidic waste, thick rubber gloves)
- Kitty Litter (Helps with cleaning up other liquid spills you may have)
- Proper Trash Disposal (Making sure that all trash is cleaned up and put in one spot (inside a can or a bag) really helps with both cleanliness and safety)
- Hearing Protection (Optional, depending on what tools you have)
However the most important aspect of pit safety:
Reduce the number of people and things in your pit
The amount of danger and inefficiency having more than 5 or so people in your pit is immense. I would try to appoint a Pit Crew and or Pit Captain, whose job is to kick unnecessary people out of the pit, and make sure it is as clean and open as possible. Ideally, we would have environments that could allow everyone to help out, but the reality is that each team is only allocated an at most 12’ x 12’ square (usually 10’ x 10’ or less). Keeping the number of people down decreases the amount of actions going on simultaneously, which greatly helps increase overall awareness and safety.
Good luck! I’d be happy to provide more help if you would like.
EDIT: I fixed some points of my original advice with comments from @EricH and @philso
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Quote the rule. The only across-the-board rules I’m aware of that limit the number of people in the pit are during ceremonies (5 people doing quiet work) and load-in (5 at a time if I recall correctly). Other than those, there is no limit. (That said: some events may have a limit due to COVID. These limits vary by event.)
10’ x 10’, possibly down to 8’ x 8’. 12’ x 12’ is a spacious venue.
Many of the listed things may be useful, but I would skip the AED. Venue or first aid station probably has one already.
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You may also want to consider not allowing team members to store their backpacks etc. in the pit. With even a medium sized team, this could take up a lot of space and it means those people will be going into the pit for reasons other than working on the robot in the pit.
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Things I would add:
- First step is choosing the right people to be in your pits. They need to be knowledgable about the robot, but equally important is that they stay calm and focused under stress and time pressure.
- Keep stuff organized and cleaned, and drawers closed.
- Have good lighting and the necessary tools – using a tool the wrong way or where you can’t see it properly is a great way to be hurt.
- If you can, practice replacing parts that you think might be in danger of being damaged or broken (and bring them as spares):
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- You’ll know which tools you need (see above)
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- A job you know how to do is safer than one you don’t
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In FRC, an industrial-style acid spill kit is not super useful. For over 20 years, FRC robots have used only AGM (electrolyte absorbed in a glass mat) or gel cell (gelled electrolyte) 12 V sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries. Wet cell (free liquid electrolyte) batteries have always been prohibited on robots. The formulation of battery acid used in FRC batteries is uncomfortable to touch, and definitely not to be introduced into eyes, mucous membranes and open wounds, but it will not make a puddle on the floor or fill a compartment with acid, even if you take a sledgehammer to the battery.
That said, having a small quantity of baking soda, a few fresh ordinary rubber gloves, and a few robust battery-sized clear plastic bags isn’t much of an imposition. But if you have to prioritize something, make it a small sealed container of fresh water (like a nonreusable water bottle containing the cheapest purified municipal water) to simply wash the affected person or area. This abates the immediate chemical hazard long enough for you to seek assistance with disposal.
If you have a damaged battery, once human safety has been accounted for, you should prioritize determining whether the damage also caused an electrical short circuit inside of the battery case—and abate this hazard. Even though this isn’t a massive issue with this kind of battery, don’t just assume you can throw the damaged battery in a plastic bin and forget about it until the end of the event.
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Don’t bring too much stuff.
I used to mentor a team that was really emotionally attached to all the big cabinets that held their tools and small parts. Those cabinets were at least 18" deep and would line 3 sides of a standard 8’ x 8’ pit. This left very little room to actually work in the pit once the robot and cart were wheeled in. One was always asking someone in the back of the pit to get something because everyone on that side would have to come out so that some could go to the back. It also got awkward when someone had to open a drawer while someone else was standing in front of it since it was difficult for them to get out of the way. The unfortunate thing was a lot of the stuff was spare parts for old robots or “mystery parts” that someone had built in the past and had no purpose on the current robot.
Because it was so cramped in the pits, it was difficult to stay clear of moving parts when testing in the pits.
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Please be cautious about acting in ways that many people refer to as Safety Theater. That is, doing things that do not help with safety but rather are merely performative, and sometimes even detrimental. Thank goodness the Safety Award no longer exists.
For instance, battery acid spills in FRC are unheard of and nearly impossible, and your team does not need to bring spill kits for this remote possibility. Getting fingers, long hair or loose clothing caught in moving robot parts like chains, belts, or pinch points DOES happen though, and all too frequently. Make sure your team secures hair and loose clothing or jewelry. Follow a protocol for turning on your robot that ensures no one has hands on it, or will put their hands inside, while it is enabled. DON’T wear gloves when working with power tools, that is significantly more dangerous than bare hands. Gloves are for carrying things, like sheet metal or robots in some cases.
Make sure that you aren’t yelling “ROBOT” when moving through the crowded pit area. This is unsafe and also rude, and doesn’t accomplish the goal of making robot transportation efficient and safe. Try politely saying “excuse us please” with a tap on the shoulder if necessary.
Regardless of venue rules or state and county laws, it is safer to get vaccinated and maintain your booster status, and to refrain from participating in robotics if you experience covid-like symptoms. Team members should also wear a high-quality mask throughout the entire event.
Lower decibel levels help protect everyone’s hearing from damage. Keep noise levels low in your pit, and if possible encourage the MC and DJ to reduce the volume below what would normally be acceptable in an industrial setting. Have hearing protection available for your team and others.
In general, be aware and cautious at all times. Maintain a posture of safety and don’t take unnecessary risks. FRC is super fun and can be distracting, but always keep your head, and help others to do the same.
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Bring extra masks this year. I don’t expect to be handing tons of them out to the public, but I’d expect some of our team members will need new ones over the course of the competition and don’t want to be caught short. Address any students’ problems with masks before you go; the last thing you want is a conversation about “Put your mask back on!” “But it makes my safety glasses fog up!” “Did you use the anti-fog spray?” etc in the middle of your event.
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Speaking of anti-fog, this is what my daughter used driving at off-season events this past year it worked really well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084KMJ1M5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
FYI, FWIW, YMMV,…
Big +1 to this! We bring an extra, empty, kit tote and only our pit crew is to stash jackets, backpacks, etc in the tote once they arrive - the tote stashes nicely out of the way under the table, and personal items are stowed neatly. Not tripping over jackets and backpack straps is a must-have!
We do the same thing in the stands with a larger box, just so jackets, bags, and other accessories aren’t littered all over the seats - and that box usually sits somewhere in the foot-wells near our scouting leads so it’s constantly monitored / not in any way confused for a seat-saving-item.
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“If your mask is fogging your glasses your mask isn’t sealed properly.” -My doctor and my dentist
This tracks - fogging is condensing water vapor/microdroplets, and those are what carry viruses and bacteria.
I’ll be using some flavor of N/KN 95 mask (team number appropriate for bonus points) with a foam seal around the nose bridge area. The masks are rigid enough to not be pulled against your mouth/nose which I prefer for comfort and breathability, and they offer the best practical protection for yourself and those around you.
We will also be bringing an air purifier to our pit and using it as we are able to.
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This is a great way to minimize the chance that “someone left something behind somewhere in the stands”.
Not correct. It is not an all-or-nothing proposition.
The conventionally recommended forms of mouth & nose covering provide some measurable protection against SARS-CoV-2 transmission (for the wearer and for the public), and particulate respirators broadly equivalent to N95 provide very substantial (although imperfect) protection.
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What size is the virus? What the smallest size the mask filters out? This can all be settled with Physics. Is there a seal?
The negative effects of blocking your airways are far greater than the perceived benefit of keeping from getting a virus.
You know what’ll actually do that? Pneumonia.
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Masks are not only to protect you, but to protect those around you. Masks by-and-large reduce the spread of aerosolized droplets which have been shown to carry Covid.
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Read the review linked in this post, it is very helpful to understand the scientific evidence what masks can do. (Spoiler alert: an N95, even a non-fit tested one, will go very far toward protecting others and yourself. And surgical and cloth masks also provide protection, albeit lesser protection.)
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