The Student Safety Captain

What the role is

FIRST Robotics Competition encourages every team to designate a Student Safety Captain — both at events and as part of the team’s everyday organization, so they can promote safety wherever you meet, build, and work. It is one of the most rewarding leadership roles on a team because it touches everyone and travels with you to competition.

Core responsibilities (from Appendix D)

The Safety Manual lists the Student Safety Captain’s duties. A strong captain will:

• Work with a mentor to learn the common safety risks of building and competing with FRC robots and how to mitigate them.
• Identify and escalate safety concerns to help ensure injury-free competitions for participants, volunteers, and spectators.
• Develop and document a team safety program that reflects your team’s culture and the elements in the Safety Manual.
• Promote the importance of working safely every day as part of team culture and processes.
• Provide support for safety questions, seeking mentor guidance as appropriate.
• Conduct safety inspections of the general work site — especially the robot construction area — and of the pit station at events, using the Safety Checklist (Appendix A) and Corrective and Preventative Action Plan (Appendix B).
• Know where to find Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and their related emergency procedures.

At events specifically

At competitions the captain becomes a safety ambassador :

• Lead the FIRST culture of safety for your team, volunteers, and spectators; advise those around you of safe practices and escalate to your mentor (or a Safety Manager) when you need support.
• Ensure compliance with safety practices and event requirements during load-in and tear-down — two of the highest-risk times.
• Have a safety/emergency plan for each event so every member knows the procedures to follow, including a designated meeting spot and a roster so you can confirm everyone is safe.
• Attend the Safety Captains’ meeting held at the start of each event, where Event Safety Reminders are reviewed.

Practical habits that make captains effective

While the manual sets the framework, experienced teams add concrete habits: give your team a safety briefing at least once a season; keep a stocked kit (spare safety glasses, a first aid kit, a battery spill/clean-up kit, and a fire extinguisher); know who your event’s Pit Administration and EMT contacts are; and track any injuries or near-misses so you can close the loop with a corrective action.

You do not do it alone

The captain leads, but the manual is explicit that everyone is responsible for safety. The captain’s job is to make safe behavior the easy, default behavior — not to be the only person who cares about it. Larger teams often appoint sub-team safety leads who report up to the captain.

Key takeaways

• FRC encourages every team to name a Student Safety Captain for both build season and events.
• Core duties: learn risks with a mentor, document a team safety program, run inspections, and know SDS/emergency procedures.
• At events the captain is a safety ambassador, especially during high-risk load-in and tear-down, and attends the Safety Captains’ meeting.
• Have an event safety plan with a meeting spot and participant roster to confirm everyone is safe.

This lesson was adapted from learnfrc.com.