Safety & Failure Modes

Engineers assume things will fail

Not because we're pessimists — because failure teaches. The question isn't "will it break?" It's "how, when, and who gets hurt?"

Failure modes to always ask

1. Overload — Too much force/weight
2. Fatigue — Repeated loading over time (paperclip bent back and forth)
3. Buckling — Long thin parts collapse sideways (not just squish)
4. Overheating — Friction, motors, brakes
5. Loose fasteners — Vibrations walk bolts out
6. Human error — Someone uses it wrong (design for this)

Safety basics for this workshop

• Eye protection when cutting, snapping, or spring-loading anything
• Springs and rubber bands are stored energy — treat them like loaded tools
• Sharp edges on sheet metal and cut plastic
• Ask before using power tools; hand tools still bite
• If something launches, know where it will land before you release it

The pre-mortem

Before you build, write: "This design will fail because ___". Fix that first.

Shop rule: Epic failures go in the Hall of Fame — with a written post-mortem. No shame. No repeat failures without learning.