06/27/2025

By: Bill Mader, K8TE, Section Manager of the ARRL New Mexico Section

One of the many ways to earn bonus points during ARRL Field Day is to have a Safety Officer on site who makes use of the Safety Officer Checklist[1] [PDF]. Safety shouldn't stop there! Many pictures of Field Day sites indicate that running that checklist alone is inadequate. Having been involved with safety professionally in the United States Air Force and in the offshore oil industry, I have experienced what good safety discipline can accomplish and the results when it fails.

As a very competitive Field Day organizer and operator, I firmly believe safety comes ahead of points! Watching for and mitigating hazards must occur for the entire event-setup, operating, teardown. Why do so few pictures show personal protective equipment (PPE) in use? Where are the hard hats, gloves, fire extinguishers, and Safety Officer with his or her checklist?

The typical rationalization is "all that is a waste of time," "it's quicker to ignore what might happen," and "nothing happened last year." I always return to the 4 Ps of safety: people, places, personal protective equipment (PPE), and personal accountability. What do they mean?

Safety is everyone's responsibility, regardless of our roles. Everyone needs a safety briefing, in general, and for specific tasks, such as raising a tower. One person ignoring their responsibility can lead to an accident - sometimes, a tragic accident.

Even at home, our stations can contain hazards, and most are unfamiliar with added ones in the field. It's everyone's responsibility to identify and mitigate-if not, eliminate-hazards. Warning tape and signs help make places safer-use them!

PPE-insist upon hard hats where anything (tools, parts, towers, and masts) could fall. Even when on the ground, they are tripping hazards. I once stopped a tower operation when, after being warned, another ham showed up in the drop zone without a hard hat! Except when operating rotating equipment, gloves are essential in preventing injuries. Let everyone know that they should bring their PPE (or club-provided PPE) if they do more than simply operate a radio-no exceptions!

Personal accountability is simple, but often overlooked. Everyone involved in using hazardous materials or tools must know and follow the safety rules. Do not allow anyone to take part in a task until they are briefed and know how the entire task is to occur. Stop the task if someone is inattentive. It takes less than a second for a hazard to become a mistake that causes an accident.

I lost a high school classmate on the nuclear submarine that sank-the Thresher. The Navy completely redid their nuclear safety program. It was used as an example after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which led to my final career, focused on safety compliance. As our local sports car racing club's motto states: "Be Safe and Have Fun." Let that be your theme for every ARRL Field Day.


[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMzcxNDYwJnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zODU3ODk2Mg/index.html

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