Course Safety

Course Worker Safety
When you're out working the course...
  • Be alert & hustle.
  • No sitting down. No picture taking. No cell phone conversations. Not paying attention equals not being safe. Also, no standing around bunched up in chat groups. Spread out so those of you at "your corner" can cover all your area of responsibility as quickly as possible. Remember that your actions as a course worker directly affect the scores of other competitors. It’s your job to accurately assign errors to the correct driver and to keep the course in tact.
  • Check that cones are in their correct places when you get to your station, before the first car runs. Check them again a couple of times during your shift: you haven’t got anything better to do.
  • Each station (corner) should have a Corner Chief who has a working radio and a red flag.
  • Keep your eyes on the car going through your section of the course, and remember you're out there to watch only your area of responsibility, not to be a spectator. Pay attention to noticing a car’s number as it passes you. A wiggling cone in the wake of the car is a telltale sign that it might have been nudged out of its box, even though it’s not knocked over. Hustle and check it.
  • Watch for displaced or knocked down cones as each and every car goes by. Quickly check and reset any cone(s) behind the car that’s passed ASAP before the next car gets near you. Watch for that next car as you’re hustling out onto the course, and remember not to turn your back on a fast-moving vehicle. Report to your radio operator ASAP. Adjust where you’re standing to be closer to Kenny cones. Hustle and hustle some more.
  • Watch for the less obvious off-course errors, when a driver keeps going after starting a non-optional slalom on the wrong side, missing a gate, or misinterpreting a cone. Report these to your radio operator ASAP. The path followed by a vehicle between gates is not a factor in calling off courses (i.e. if a car spins off course but comes back to the correct gate and continues its run it is not off course.)
  • Stay alert for unexpected pedestrians, birds, critters, sky-divers, meteors, etc. Be careful not to get burned picking up fallen hot parts (car or satellite). Also watch for magnetic numbers that sometimes fly off competitors’ cars: hustle to pick them up off the course ASAP, report it and bring them to the control truck at the end of your tour of duty. Also pick up anything else that flies out of a car, and don't leave it on the ground: all our trash goes where trash belongs.
  • Remember that if a driver has to stop to ensure your safety, you've ruined his/her run, and re-runs cost everyone valuable time.
  • Working the radio, you shouldn’t also be running for downed cones, but you do need to watch for each car’s numbers. Hint: when reporting cone and off-course errors to Timing Control, make sure they acknowledge your signal by listening for their response after you say, "Corner 2 to Control."
  • Wave the red flag vigorously at the car(s) that should stop if you think you have an unsafe situation at your corner, or if you are told to do so by Timing or a Safety Steward. You may need to quickly move towards a driver’s "line of sight" when waving the red flag.
    Red flag conditions include:
    • A stalled car on the course
    • A worker, spectator, animal or other "uninvited guest" on the course.
    • Fluids leaking from the car on the course.
    • A call over the radio or PA to 'stop the car'
  • When in doubt, the rule of thumb is always, "safety first." And one more time: Hustle when you’re out on the course!
Driver Safety
  • Wear your helmet with the chin strap fastened during each run.
  • If you find yourself bearing down on a course worker who hasn't hustled out of harm's way, come to a safe stop; you'll be given a rerun.
  • If you 'get lost' or go off course don't give up and drive to the pits. Figure out where you should be and complete your run. This will help you remember the course on your next run. This is also an important safety measure - there may be another car on the course behind you.
  • The red flag means STOP NOW (in a safe and controlled manner).
  • If you should spin or lose control of you car, bring the car to a complete stop, gather your wits, and proceed with the rest of your run. Never try to save a run when you're in over your head.
  • DO NOT allow your car to slide off the pavement sideways. If you cannot avoid going off the paved surface, you should at least point your car directly forward or backwards.
  • Speed Limit in the grid area is walking speed.
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