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Safety Guidelines

The following sections recommend design considerations for safety for all students and staff that may design, build, or interact with projects.

These standards are mandatory in projects that participate in any public showcases outside of the VIP lab.

General safety guidelines​

  • Overall, it is a good idea to include fuses in series with sensitive equipment.
  • Attempt to design systems to fail in a safe way.
  • Any projects using 120VAC or greater than or equal to 24VDC should ensure all exposed contacts (wires, terminals, etc) are reasonably heat-shrunk or wrapped to reduce shock hazards.

Safety Requirements​

The following safety features are required on your project if it meets any of the following descriptions.

Projects require an E-Stop if:​

  • You have any electro-mechanical system as part of your project.

If your system draws more than that rated 10A of most E-Stops, you must route the power through a power relay or contactor.

Projects require a circuit breaker if:​

  • Your project uses 120VAC power or similar power supply.
  • Your project uses greater than or equal to 24VDC power.