Safety

In the interest of ensuring the safety of everyone working on the team of Red Storm Robotics and any other FIRST teams, FIRST maintains a set of Standard Safety Regulations for all their programs:

• MANDATORY! Non-shaded safety glasses that meet ANSI Z87 standards.
• Open-toed shoes are not allowed at events.
• No loose clothing.
• Tie hair away from the face, especially long hair.
• No jewelry or other dangling objects that may be hazardous.
• Wear protective masks/respirators when there are potentially harmful fumes/dust.
• Have safety guards for power tools when required.
• Wear safety gloves when needed.
• Earplugs/earmuffs for objectionable/questionable sound levels.
• ALWAYS walk and work in a controlled and thoughtful manner.
• Keep control of robot at all times with no one in the robot’s path at any time.
• Use lead-free solder only and solder with electrically heated soldering iron/gun only.
• Solder in well-ventilated areas.
• Do not leave any hot tools, such as a hot drill bit, where someone can accidentally contact the hot element.
• Don’t use defective, dull, or broken tools. Don’t put them back on the shelf; remove them from service and notify the safety captain and mentor so they can be replaced or sent in for repair.
• Inspect your equipment cords and extension cords routinely to ensure they are in good condition.
• Practice proper safe lifting, handling, and transporting techniques

Please report all accidents to the safety captain, mentor, and other captains in the area.

In addition to following these rules, Red Storm emphasizes safety as a general part of working on the team. All team members who work in the shop are certified to do so, and we have a safety captain and assistant who remind people of these rules and are informed immediately of any incidents. Four students and five mentors on the team are CPR, AED, and first-aid certified. Thankfully, they have not had to use their skills due to the team’s focus on preventing accidents before they happen.

FIRST‘s entire document on safety rules can be accessed here.