Formula Student
Places are still available for the EV Safety Awareness course (9 December, MTI in Coventry): for full details and to book visit this website.
What do you think is the most important aspect of this course?
The most important aspect of the course is to explain why hazardous voltages and stored energy pose a risk to those working with them as this baseline knowledge creates the right foundation for basing design, tooling, PPE and process mitigations around.
Who will this course benefit and why?
Anyone who works on or around vehicles with high voltage or stored energy. For those planning and executing the work the advantages are much more direct, however for anyone working around the vehicles an awareness of the risks of exposed conductors is important.
Why is it important to review hazards even for experienced EV teams?
Regular hazard reviews allow the opportunity for continual improvement to the hazard mitigations as well serving to refresh the team on why the mitigations are in place and allowing opportunity to increase (or decrease) the level of mitigations accordingly.
How can safety awareness benefit teamwork?
Safety awareness benefits team work because it invokes conversations around the design of the electrical system which develops a cohesive safety culture.
How can safe working practices benefit performance at competition?
Processes and methods that deliver safe working when practised on a regular basis lead to better team performance under the stressful environment of the competition through efficiency. It’s better to lose safely than to win dangerously but it’s best to win safely!
What are the benefits of attending this course in particular, compared with other electrical safety courses?
This course is aimed at hazards associated with electric vehicles which many industrial courses don’t address. Some of the hazards cannot simply be isolated with a switch – batteries are always live and always present a danger if mishandled. The course is further tailored to the requirements of Formula Student because of Hypermotive’s ongoing engagement in EV safety at the event.
Why is regularly refreshing safe working practices important?
As with any learned skill, aspects of knowledge that are not regularly used become stale and bad habits creep in. Regularly reviewing the safe working practises puts everyone in the best position to identify hazards and put suitable mitigations in place before accidents happen.