Stacey, sign up for the tech crew...they need folks who care and you
certainly do sound like a smooth fit for the job.
--Pat Kelly
----------
>From: "Stacey" <swilbur@sprynet.com>
>To: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
>Subject: Saftey Concerns?
>Date: Tue, Mar 5, 2002, 11:24 PM
>
>I hesitate to write this as I am new, know nothing and am
>a Novice.... Did I just say the same thing 3 times???
>
>So I hope that you do not take it wrong and tell me to get lost
>or something. I really do like what took place Sunday and look forward
>to spending many more with you.
>
>But I did want to comment on some issues and ask for
>others opinions as to whether some of these actions are the norm or if they
>were oversights without sounding like I am standing on a soap box
>or something. I apologize for it being so long.
>
>
>Sunday was my first SFR SCCA event (as noted in an earlier posting)
>but I had a few safety concerns or observations that I wanted
>to discuss...
>
>1) I got teched about 10:30 maybe not sure. But there was no one over there
> just 3 or 4 vettes that had been abandoned. I was not even sure if I
>was in
> the right place as I expected someone to be there, or a sign or
>something.
>
> Also, a minute later, another novice first timer parked behind me and we
> asked each other if this was the place to get teched, neither of us knew
> the answer.
>
> A few minutes later 4 people showed up and did the tech.
> It was quick. Maybe too quick? I was not assured that they
> looked at enough stuff. For instance they did not jack it up.
> They did not check for loose wheel bearings or for oil leaks.
> And it was not obvious that they checked my tire tread.
> They also missed some loose stuff in my ash tray ( a mini-super ball)
> which I found before the run and removed.
>
> Later I was surprised to see that cars with items hanging from the
>rear view mirror
> like Pepsi balls on a chain were passed by Tech. And then there was the
>car
> that had a stuck throttle during my work shift.
>
> The only other tech I ever had for autox was at NASA but it seemed to be
> more thorough. The tech was done on grid and was easier to locate
>and required less
> car movement/traffic.
>
>2) I was surprised/shocked to see passengers running in the autox holding
> video cameras, recording as the car was on course. I thought that only
> fixed, properly mounted cameras would be allowed. When I was
> doing my work shift I saw at lease 3 different cars with passengers
>doing this.
> Is this permitted?
>
>3) I would have liked to have seen just a tad more spacing on the car starts.
> I worked in station 1B or is it 1.5 by the pole. By the time I watched
>the
> car pass and then go up around the corner at 2 and then head back to 1
> facing right at us and then spinning out in the sweeper another car
>would
> already be started and headed for us again with my back to it. It
>would
> have felt safer to have another few seconds so that the car was headed
> away from me before I had to worry about another car headed toward me
> from the start. I was the only one in this station for the first 10
>minutes
> of my shift at the end of group 7. Once some other workers showed up we
> kind of took turns watching in both directions.
>
> I also did not like the fact that I was a Novice and was stationed at 1.5
> or 1 B or whatever you want to call it and I was by myself. The previous
> 3 people stationed there bolted as soon as I walked over from station 1
> where we had 3 people already swapped out. I thought that they should
>have
> waited for other workers to show up.
>
> Also at my station there was only a radio holder but no radio. So at
>the end of
> my shift, when the 8th group of cars started and 2 replacement workers
> finally showed up I got them a third worker from station 1A, which
>had 4 workers,
> and got them a replacement radio from the camper. I noticed at that
>point that the camper did
> a radio check with each station. We did not get one at the start of
>group 7,
> or maybe we did but since we did not have a radio so we did not hear it?
>
> I guess it should have been made more clear that there were
>additional work stations.
> Both Station 1 and Station 2 had two work locations. Maybe the
>others did as well but
> it was not obvious to the workers (at least us new ones). I guess a
>few more station signs
> would help this problem.
>
>4) I thought that the distance from the finish line to the stop sign and
>results person was
> too short. It would be nice to be able to go through the trap at
>speed and not have to worry about
> having to stop so quickly to avoid running over someone.
>
>5) I noticed several cases when a worker was in harms way by the finish
>line on the outside
> of a turn trying to right a cone when the next car came by. There
>should have been another station,
> maybe close to the camper, on the correct side of the course. This
>worker had to come from
> some distance away and cross the line of traffic to right the cone.
>I think there could have
> been a safer way to do this.
>
>6) I was not sure when to actually use the red flag. I know that if I see
>an unsafe
> situation that I should use it but I was unsure that if someone else
>was using one should
> everyone else also wave the read flag and stop everything or only the
>section that was
> having problems? I remember one case when there was a safety issue near
>the
> finish and no one was red flagging but the announcer said to and
>wanted the following car to
> be red flagged as well but none was given. Should we all have red
>flagged to try to
> get the cars attention?
>
>7) I was impressed with the fact that they delayed the start of the
>first group as a
> result of a safety officer deciding that the big sweeper was too
>close to one of the
> poles (about 30 feet) and he had the course changed to give at least
>50 feet distance to the
> pole. There were several spinouts there during the runs, although I
>do not think any got
> close to the pole but its is always better to be on the safe side.
>This was a good move.
>
>
>8) On a lighter side....
> Maybe we should have someone checkup on the use of legal
> Coke and Pepsi stimulants by drivers to help promote a safer
>environment.
>
> Maybe we need a blood or pee test to check for presence of
>excessive Coke or Pepsi
> in the system! ;-)
>
>
>Thanks everyone for making it a fun and safe day for all of us.
>
>Please comment as appropriate but please do not beat me up to badly.
>As I said I am a novice and just wanted to ask some questions and make some
>observations,
>partly to learn and partly to let you know what a first timer feels and
>sees compared to the
>more experienced auto crosser.
>
>
>OK, let the bullets fly
>
>
>-Stacey
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