Safety Program

Safety is an integral part of Team 2337's operations. 
To us, Safety is about more than just being safe at competition - it's educating people to do safe things at our build facility as well as at home and school. 
The EngiNERDs have adopted the UL Safety Ambassador Program and other training to teach others about healthy and responsible behaviors. 

UL Safety Smart® Ambassador Program

As UL Safety Smart® Ambassadors, the EngiNERDs educate young children to practice safe, healthy and environmentally responsible behaviors. We’ve launched our program, focusing on Kindergarten through 3rd Grades with the following two Safety Smart® topics Safety Smart Germs & Your Health! (Kindergarten) and Safety Smart Goes Green! (1st-3rd grades).

The EngiNERDs have partnered with Grand Blanc Community Schools to provide Safety Smart® training as part of the curriculum for the Michigan Model for Health® - Personal Health and Wellness Safety Education.

Safety Captain

Each year, The EngiNERDs' students elect one of their peers to represent the Team in the area of Safety. This person works diligently to maintain the current Safety Program, as well as develop new standards of Safety, outreach efforts, and training.

Safety Glasses

Every Student and Mentor on Team 2337 is supplied with an individual pair of OSHA Approved Safety Glasses and breakaway Lanyard, which are labeled with his or her name. Not sharing Safety Glasses assists in reduces exposure to bacteria, decreases instances of conjunctivitis and helps the Team save resources. Each person is responsible for their Safety Glasses, which increases their level of accountability. Students and Mentors are required to wear their Safety Glasses while in the Team's build room, while operating any tools, or near the robot.

Fire Extinguisher Training

Thanks to the Grand Blanc Fire Department, Students and Mentors on Team 2337 are provided with effective Fire Extinguisher Training. The GBFD visits the EngiNERDs' facility each year and instructs Team Members how to "put out" a real (although contained and properly supervised) fire.

Safe Lifting and Body Mechanics Techniques 

Thanks to Physical Therapist Earl Mayhew, Team 2337 has been equipped with knowledge of how to properly lift heavy objects (like a robot), and how to use correct posture to keep your body healthy and strong.

Going Green Initiatives

EngiNERDs have Gone Green at their build Facility, Premier Tooling Systems!  They've started a recycling program that includes paper, plastic, batteries, ink cartridges and scrap wire.  

An initiative to reduce waste has helped the team reuse materials such as water bottles as spirit noise makers, and The EngiNERDs' Scouting Team has pledged to plant a tree to replace the amount of paper that is used each year.

Material and Tool Organization

An important safety aspect is the organization of Team 2337’s work area. The organization system not only helps new students learn the names and types of tools but also to ensure they can find the proper tool to use for the task at hand. The system includes dividers to keep tools separated in drawers, location of tools labeled clearly, mechanical and electrical separated and boxes labeled for small parts. 

Material Data Safety Sheets

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are located in one general location for the use of all students and mentors. The location of sheets is posted using MIOSHA’s locator sheet. Every student is aware of the sheets location and purpose. The MSDS travel with the Teams to competitions, and are located in the pits in a yellow binder clearly labeled. Each Student is responsible for knowing where these are located and how to use them properly. 

Training Board

At the Team's build facility, a large display board is used to track team members completed training activities. There are designated mentors who will perform the training and sign-off that students are properly trained in the use of various tools. This visual representation of students' training allows for a check-and-balance system to ensure that tools are operated only by those people that are certified to use them.