As a team we promote safety when working with our robot in our shop, at school, in our pits, and on the field.
Regardless of where we are working with the robot:
We always where safety glasses
All team members are made aware of safety procedures
At the beginning of our season we have a detailed presentation of the safety procedures to be following when building the robot, working with equipment and power tools, or interacting with the robot.
Each member is expected to read the FRC documents that pertain to safety. These procedures are reviewed quite frequently through the season.
The build team is very cautious with disabling and powering off the robot before they do any work on it. Even if a wire comes loose or a nut needs tightening they make sure that they are safer than safe.
When the drive team is working with the robot, there is a spotter watching to instruct them to disable the robot whenever there was a potential safety issue.
Anyone who does not know what the robot does or the parts of the robot, do not go anywhere near it.
Custom safety posters and memes were created to remind us of the safety procedures
This year, we also decided to take a more active role in encouraging safety at our FRC competition.
Posters given to teams to post in their pit areas
Manning the safety glass station as much as we are needed
Creating a collection of safety pins to remind participants of the importance of safety
Building and Testing our Robot At the Shop: (not at our school)
Anyone who is in the shop had to follow the safety rules if they wanted to be allowed anywhere near the equipment or even in the shop at all.
When arriving at the shop, our industry mentors gave a complete tour and outlined:
location of safety equipment (extinguishers, first aid kit, eye-wash station)
safe use of equipment and tools
proper handling of chemicals and other potentially dangerous items such as batteries, sharp metal, cutting blades.
When working with equipment and chemicals, they insisted we wear coveralls, eye protection, and gloves.
We were warned that anyone goofing off would be sent home (thank god that there was no need for this rule) All it takes is one person distracted before the whole team is in danger of hurting themselves or others
The mentors made sure that they were always next to people that were using the equipment for the first time. Once we proved that we could use the equipment safely and properly, we were trusted to work on our own. They continued to work on their own company business keeping a very close eye on us. IF we weren't following the outlined safety procedures, we were quickly reminded.
The build team knew about all 3 fire extinguishers that are strategically placed in the shop (one in the middle, one by the welding machine and one in the lobby of the shop)
To be safe, the shop also needs to be clean. The build team always cleaned up after themselves before they left, making sure that they put everything back to where they got it from.
At the School
As the robot was built off site at a shop, we were only at school for planning sessions and for programming and driving activities.
Custom safety posters and memes were created to remind us of the safety procedures
We have to wear safety glasses whenever working with or near the robot or power tools.
Everyone knew / knows:
where the fire extinguishers are placed and what to do in case of an emergency.
location of first aid kit and eye wash station
We bought baking soda just in case of a battery spill.
Battery team ensured that there is no water near the robot and that all electrical components of the robot are safe!
SHOELACES!! They had to be tied at all times. Long shoelaces are tucked in. People who failed to meet this requirement were told to get shoes with hook and loop tape which we provided. Build team am I right?
Long hair needed to be tied back and no loose clothing was allowed.
2019 Outreach into the FRC community
This year our safety team was determined to make a more active effort to promote safety at our FRC event in Victoria
Our media team designed a safety poster as a quick reminder of the do’s and don’ts. The poster was displayed throughout the pits at team booths, inspection area, practice field, and safety glass tables.
Our media team also designed a series of buttons that promoted safety. These buttons were well received by many of the FRC teams. They were so popular that we had to build more.
Our team members are committed to do more than our share of manning one or both of the safety glass stations.
Over the course of the competition, we have and will continue to keep our eyes open to violations. When an issue is spotted, we aim to gently remind our competitors of the correct procedures.
At the close of pit time, we volunteered to help some teams with cleanup if they needed it.