Highbay and Vehicle Safety Procedures

A) SAFETY ROLES AND PROCEDURES

ROLES

The safety driver is a person responsible for ensuring

1) Safe operation of the vehicle and

2) Safety of the people in and around the vehicle and the testing facility.

To be a safety driver, you have to complete the Safety driver training.

The safety lookout is responsible for alerting the driver verbally

1) That the environment is ready for testing

2) That there is a risk and that the driver should take appropriate action.

To be a safety lookout, you have to complete the High bay safety training.

The experimenter is a person involved in performing experiments either in the vehicle or on the ground.

Invariant. safety driver ≠ safety lookout ≠ experimenter.

BEFORE VEHICLE MOVES, SAFETY DRIVER MUST CHECK

Doors are closed
Windows are open (to hear Safety Lookout)
The wheel chocks are removed
The vehicle charging cable is unplugged
Vehicle has safe space to move
Everyone including Safety Lookout is aware that the vehicle is moving possibly autonomously

ETIQUETTE FOR EXPERIMENTS

Beginning: When Experimenter is ready: “CLEAR”

Lookout: “READY” or “WAIT” depending on whether environment is ready or has risk.

Safety driver: “MOVING” when driving commences (autonomous or manual)

During testing, the safety driver shall

Be ready to take control of the vehicle in the case of any real or perceived risk
Take control of the vehicle by operating the break or steering in case of a risk (this will disengage the computer control)

During testing, safety lookout shall

Yell “STOP” if there is any perceived risk.
Press one of the Emergency Buttons which will disengage the computer. This does not necessarily stop the vehicle. Safety driver has to do that.

End of testing, Safety driver: “OK” (then people can approach vehicle)

B) HIGHBAY ACCESS PROCESS

Highbay building access

Complete the following training:

UIUC Division of Research Safety (DRS) tutorial on the Web:

“Work in a Lab”

Highbay Access and Safety Training, in person

After completing both, send DRS Certificate to John M. Hart with “Requesting Access to Highbay” as the Subject

Vehicle access

Complete the following training:

GEM SmartEV Safety Look-Out Training, in person

GEM SmartEV Safety Driver Training, in person – Requested by your professor

Send email to John M. Hart to gain access to the GEM SmartEV with “Requesting Access to GEM SmartEV” as the Subject and specify training received

Vehicle keys are now be kept in Rm 102 in the Highbay (considering using a Bluetooth lock-box in the future).

C) AVAILABLE TRAINING

Highbay Access Procedures

Topics: iCard access, Emergency procedures, Buddy System, etc.
Duration: Can be combined with Safety Look-Out Training
Scheduling: Email John M. Hart (jmhart3 @ illinois.edu)

Safety Look-Out Training

Topics: Safety Look-Out procedures, responsibilities, protocols, etc.
Duration: Can be done in groups, 1 hr
Scheduling: Email John M. Hart (jmhart3 @ illinois.edu)

Safety Driver Training

Topics: Safety Driver rules, vehicle operation, key access, protocols, etc.
Duration: One on one training with vehicle, 1.5 hrs
Scheduling: Requested by Professor, then Email John M. Hart (jmhart3 @ illinois.edu)

D) GEM SMARTEV SAFETY RULES

1) Whenever the vehicle key is inserted, there must be:

a certified Safety Driver in the driving seat and paying attention
two other people present, one of whom is a certified Safety Look-Out

2) The vehicle may only be operated

Inside the Highbay
In the Highbay back lot (currently not allowed)

3) All vehicle operators will be:

a university employee, OR
an RA or TA OR
a student in this course

4) Any incident resulting in a minor injury or in a near-miss with a credible threat of injury or damage will be reported immediately in writing on a “no-blame” basis to the Highbay steering committee. Reports may be anonymous. This will allow us to recognize unanticipated threats and report as needed to the College of Engineering Department of Safety.

Highbay Access Safety

1) All must complete Highbay Safety course. This course will provide training as a Safety Look-Out as well.

2) There must be at least two people in Highbay at any time, operating as safety buddies.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

An emergency situation involving a serious injury, a credible threat of a serious injury, or major property damage

1) Call 911; briefly explain the problem, and request help at:

201 St. Mary’s Road Champaign, IL 61820

2) If necessary, evacuate the area

3) If necessary, supply first aid to the injured

4) Contact and report the situation to:

Manager and Laboratory Coordinator of the CSL Shared Robotics Spaces (217) 244-4174
Contact CSL Building Manager: Kyle Wilcoxon (217) 244-2280
Report incident to the Division of Research Safety drs@illinois.edu

E) SAFETY LOOK-OUT TRAINING AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1) The Safety Look-Out assists the Safety Driver with Safe Operation of the Vehicle

Ensuring the safety of the people in and around the vehicle, the vehicle itself and the facility
Ensuring the area all around the vehicle is clear because the Safety Driver’s visibility is restricted

2) When Safety Driver shouts “CLEAR” that is when your responsibilities start

Make sure:

You are standing outside the vehicle, not riding
You remove the wheel chocks
You unplug the vehicle charging cable
There is nothing in the path of the vehicle
Everyone is clear of the vehicle
Everyone around is paying attention

3) Then reply by shouting “READY”

However, your job still continues:
Look out for people moving around
Look out for other people/equipment entering the bay through doors, etc.

4) If at any time you think safety may be compromised YELL “STOP”

5) If Safety Driver doesn’t hear you or time is short – press one of the Emergency Buttons (Note: this does not stop the vehicle but only disengages the computer)

6) Upon normal completion of an experiment the Safety Driver then shouts “OK” people can then approach vehicle to discuss issues with the experiment and troubleshoot

7) The next experiment starts with Safety Driver shouting “CLEAR”

F) SAFETY DRIVER TRAINING AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1) The Safety Driver ensures the Safe Operation of the Vehicle

2) To ensure the safety of the people in and around the vehicle, the vehicle itself and the facility

Make sure:

Seat belts are worn by you and the Experimenter
All doors are closed and windows are open, so everyone can hear each other

3) Your visibility in the vehicle is restricted, so you must have a Safety Look-Out any time the vehicle is to move

4) When the Experimenter is ready to test, you shout “CLEAR”

5) This is your Safety Look-Out’s indication to assist you in ensuring:

The wheel chocks are removed
The vehicle charging cable is unplugged
There is nothing in the path of the vehicle
Everyone is clear of the vehicle
Everyone around is paying attention

6) The Safety Look-Out will then reply by shouting “READY”

7) When you are prepared, you will respond by shouting “MOVING”

Then you shall:

Be ready to take control of the vehicle when the autonomous driving fails
Maintain alertness without being distracted by the passenger’s testing
Keep aware of any people moving around the vehicle

8) If at any time you think safety may be compromised, take control of the vehicle by operating the break or steering wheel – this will disengage the computer control

9) Your Safety Look-Out will be watching the area, listen for them to YELL “STOP”

10) At any time the Safety Look-Out or Experimenter may press one of the of the Emergency Buttons which will disengage the computer, however it is still your responsibility to take control and stop the vehicle

11) Upon normal completion of an experiment you shout “OK” then people can approach vehicle to discuss issues with the experiment and troubleshoot

12) The next experiment starts with you shouting “CLEAR”

You must also attend a Safety Driver Training session before being granted access to the vehicle key location.