Safety comes before everything else in VEX Robotics Competitions. Before a match, before a score, before winning. A robot can be rebuilt and a match can be replayed, but an injury to a person cannot be taken back. That is why safety comes first.
Safety is everyone's job. It is the job of every student, not only the adults. When you work safely, you keep yourself safe, and you keep the people around you safe too. The best teams look out for each other and speak up the moment something looks wrong, instead of waiting for someone else to notice.
This policy explains how to stay safe in every place your team works or your robot operates. It is not a long list of ways to get in trouble. It is how this community keeps everyone safe, so that everyone can keep building, competing, and learning. It works alongside the Code of Conduct, which sets the standards of behavior for everyone who takes part in the VEX Competitions.
This policy covers these VEX Competition Programs:
- VEX IQ
- VEX V5
- VEX AI
- VEX U
You will often be in a place that already has safety rules of its own. Your school has them. So does the building where you compete, and so does the event itself. This policy does not replace any of those rules. It works alongside them.
Safety in the Lab or at School
Most of the time your team spends together happens away from the competition field. A safe workspace is the first step to a safe season.
- Keep your workspace clear. Put parts and tools away when you finish, and keep walkways open so no one trips.
- Clean up spills right away.
- Tie back long hair and tuck in loose clothing so nothing gets caught in a gear or moving part.
- (V5) Handle parts with care. Some parts have sharp corners or thin metal edges even before they are built into anything.
- Tell the coach about a broken or damaged part so it can be fixed, replaced, or set aside.
Battery Safety
A robot battery stores a lot of energy in a small package. Treated well, it is safe; treated badly, it can overheat or start a fire.
- Charge batteries only with the charger made for them.
- Keep the battery charging area clean and uncluttered, and keep food and drinks away from it.
- Keep a charging battery where someone can see it, and unplug the charger when you are done.
- Never charge a battery that looks or feels wrong: puffy, cracked, hot, or damaged. Tell an adult right away.
- If a battery smokes, hisses, or gets very hot, move away and tell an adult immediately.
(V5) Tools and Fabrication
VEX V5 teams cut, drill, and shape parts to build their robots, so this section is only for those teams.
- Learn how to use a tool safely before you pick it up. Ask a mentor to show you if you are not sure.
- Wear eye protection any time you cut, drill, grind, or hammer, and any time someone near you is doing those things.
- File modified parts so no sharp edges are left behind. A fresh-cut edge can cut skin.
- Keep your fingers away from the blade, the bit, and the cutting line.
- Clamp down small parts instead of holding them by hand.
- Put tools away when you finish. A tool left out is a tool no one else can find.
Building a Safe Robot
A safe robot is part of the design, not something you add at the end.
- As you build, think about the people who will be near your robot: teammates, other teams, referees, and you.
- Keep the power button and battery connection easy to reach. Build your robot so someone can turn it off, or unplug the battery, without lifting the robot or reaching in past moving parts. That way, if something goes wrong, the robot can be stopped fast and safely.
- (V5) Build a robot with no sharp edges. If you cut or shape a part, smooth it.
- Watch for pinch points. A pinch point is any place where two parts come together and could catch a finger, like a gear, a moving arm, or a set of wheels. Keep fingers clear when the robot is on, and consider adding covers or guards.
- Hold the battery in place. Mount it so it stays put, even when the robot bumps into something.
When you work on your robot:
- Turn your robot off. Do not fix, adjust, or pull on a robot while it is powered on.
- Let moving parts stop, and lower a raised arm, before you work near them.
- Let out stored energy first. A stretched rubber band can snap back, so release it before you work near it.
- Tell your team when you are working on the robot so no one turns it on or drives it while your hands are on it.
When you drive your robot:
- Keep people back when the robot is running. Give it room, and never run it near someone who is not expecting it.
- Keep your robot under control. Build and program it to move the way you expect and stop when you tell it to. Test it in a safe, open space before you trust it near people, and never point a fast-moving part at anyone.
- Know how you will stop your robot before you run it. When using autonomous code, consider making one button stop all movement, just in case the robot does something unintended.
Staying Safe at Events
An event is a busy, crowded, exciting place, with people and robots moving everywhere. Staying safe is mostly about paying attention to the people around you.
- Walk, do not run, through the pits and queuing areas.
- Carry your robot with both hands and watch where you are going, especially in tight or crowded spaces.
- Keep walkways and doorways clear so everyone can get through.
- Follow the instructions of event staff. Referees, judges, inspectors, and venue staff are there in part to keep everyone safe. When they ask you to do something for safety, do it, even if you do not know the reason yet.
Safety on the Competition Field
- Run your robot safely. Drive so you do not put people, other robots, or the field in danger.
- (V5) Wear eye protection at the field. V5 drive team members wear eye protection whenever they are at the field for a match. Everyone on a V5 team is encouraged to wear it near the field and in the pits.
- (IQ) Stay off the field. VEX IQ team members do not step onto the field during setup or during the match.
- (V5) Stay off the field. Some events may allow VEX V5 teams field access before and after matches with permission from the Head Referee. Do not step onto the field during the match.
When Something Goes Wrong
Even when everyone is careful, things sometimes go wrong. What matters is what you do next.
- Stop what you are doing.
- Make it safe, if you can do that without putting yourself in danger.
- Tell an adult right away. At an event, tell the event staff too.
Speaking up when something is wrong is not about getting anyone in trouble. It is how the community keeps everyone safe, and it is exactly what a good teammate does. In a true emergency, such as a fire, a serious injury, or someone in danger, do not wait. Get the nearest adult. Anyone, including you, is allowed to call emergency services.