OSHA 3110 Comprehensive

  Fall Protection Training  

Enroll Today!

Greetings Jack! Versatile Systems is pleased to announce our Spring  30 Hour OSHA Fall Protection Training Course to be held March 5th through the 8th. This class will fill fast! Don't miss your chance to learn life saving safety solutions! Enroll Today!       Attendees will be exposed to state-of-the-art fall protection technology and current OSHA standards under the tutelage of safety instructor John McHugh.            Topics Include: Principles of fall protection. Components of fall arrest systems. Limitations of fall arrest equipment. OSHA policies regarding fall protection. Furthermore, this course features a one-day hands-on field exercise demonstrating an array of fall protection equipment.            Field Exercise Topics Include:   Conventional Systems. Body Holding Devices. Anchor Points. Harnesses. Vertical/Horizontal Traveling Systems.    Course Fee: $725 Course Time: 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Course Dates: March 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th. (All classes must be attended)   Course Location: 2514 N. Naomi, Burbank, CA 91504   Course No.: FPM-40489 Section ID: 087163     Deadline: February 24th.  All materials are included. Refreshments will be provided each morning.       Train for tomorrow, Today.      Register Here! Telephone  (818) 565-5551   Fax (818) 565-5535

John McHugh   John McHugh is the owner of Versatile Systems, Inc., California's leader in fall protection safety; his universal expertise of the field propelled him to the top of prominent figures in fall protection training, lectures and installation over recent years.       Questions?   Contact Jack Guimon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (818) 565-5551

Harvest Moon

Due east of the mighty Mississippi River, a serene July night consumed the sullied goldenrod fields of Mt. Carroll, IL. as two lifeless teenage boys were pulled from a stainless steel Illinois grain bin. They were Wyatt Whitebread, 14 and Alejandro Pacas, 19.

According to OSHA reports, the two boys were “walking-down-the-corn”, creating flow for grain emptying machinery, when the kernels suddenly assumed the nature of quicksand below Wyatt’s feet. The 8^th grader began sinking. Pacas and a third boy, Will Piper, 20, rushed to Whitebread’s safety; however the rescuers encountered the same fate of young Wyatt Whitebread: all three boys slowly sank. A fourth boy, Chris Lawton, 15, lunged for the side ladder and hustled up-and-out of the bin; inhaling large gulps of summer morning air in his dead sprint for help.

Meanwhile, the eyes of Whitebread and Pacas disappeared below the surface of the trembling grain leaving Will Piper to sink alone. Thousands of kernels engulfed Piper’s thighs, hips, stomach and chest before the grain, now level with his neckline, came to a halt. Treading a sea of corn, he kept his head above the surface in a struggle to escape drowning. He succeeded; the machinery halted; and Piper waited. He waited six hours before being pulled out of the pit, rushed to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.

And still it was six more hours before thirty-eight firefighters finally bore witness to the harvest’s victims: two teenagers, one underage for silo employment, both without harnesses.

The boys were employed to walk the surface of the unstable crop without harnesses, safety lines or proper training. Those essentials would have prevented what OSHA has deemed an “easily avoidable tragedy” from happening. It would have prevented unquantifiable grief and unimaginable pain for the friends, family, and community of the teens. And yet this story isn’t unique. Unfortunately, agricultural cities across the country have experienced the same trials and tribulations.

2010 was one of the deadliest years for granary accidents: 

A Purdue University report showed [there were] 51 grain bin accidents last year, up from 38 in 2009 and the most since tracking began in 1978. Twenty-five people died, and five of them were children under age 16. The previous record for grain bin accidents was 42 in 1993. (Crumb, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/grain-bin-accidents_n_824014.html#)

The rise of silo fatalities is disconcerting in America’s current golden age of “Safety First” discourse because it implies a certain degree of indifference towards employee health. The complacency with current practices, “We’ve done it this way for years and nobody’s ever even cracked a knuckle”, is proof that the message is not getting through; deliberate inaction is far worse than general ignorance, but neither should ever be condoned.

And so it is only true that the escalation of fatal incidents will not cease until we sensibly acknowledge the inflexible tragedies of the past and strive forth equipped with the knowledge to ensure comprehensive employee protection: hopefully the perplexity of silenced youth provides clarity for that future.

Accompanying this message is VSI’s free 7 Point Silo Safety Flyer that highlights OSHA’s guidelines for safe silo practices. Please print one for your silo employees, or pass this on to someone who may need it.

Thank you.

We’re not your average Fall Protection company.

We’re Versatile Systems, Inc. Average doesn’t work here.

VSI

Skylights are not new nor are the dangers associated with them. Skylights were first conceived by the VELUX founder, Mr. Villum Kann Rasmussen and became increasingly popular in the wake of WWII. (TheBestSkylights.com)  With Europe in ruins, and struggling with shortages in viable commercial and residential space, Mr. Rasmussen's 1942 patented skylights became the perfect solution to allow the conversion of the attic from a storage space to a versatile living and working space because it allowed natural sunlight to enter, which in turn provided light, heat, and quality air to circulate these converted spaces. But the dangers of skylights weren't initially obvious which is why fall protection solutions for them lagged until OSHA established comprehensive regulations in the early 70's.

But did you know; that although Federal OSHA standard promulgates skylights to be capable of resisting a 200 pound force in every state, there is but one single state which requires a standard above and beyond Fed/OSHA? Do you know the state? 

Of course you do, it's California! 

Since the 80's there has become a heightened awareness of skylight safety. In 1989, NIOSH published their first safety alert titled: Preventing Worker Deaths and Injuries from Falls through Skylights and Roof Opening. This alert, like many others, held a red flag high and wide above skylights, opening up a discussion while becoming a resource for those unfamiliar with the subject. Since the first publication, NIOSH has continued to revised and update their findings. Click the above link and familiarize yourself with the facts because skylight fatalities and injuries can be eliminated.

That's a fact.

Versatile Systems, Inc.

We’re not your average Fall Protection company.

In case you haven’t heard of the OSC, Online Safety Community, I’ll provide you with all the information you need to know.

First off, the OSC was created by Ansell Healthcare as a means of utilizing the best feature of the internet, its ability to bring people together. Headquartered in Red Bank, NJ, Ansell is one of the leading providers of hand safety products; their gloves are helping your local mechanic in the shop as well as every soldier currently serving this country. (Read Here for why) The website has been in operation since 2008 and currently has a membership total of 3,179. They have groups, much like other social media sites, that revolve around specific safety issues which provide open forums for passionate discussion, for instance, VSI is currently involved with the “Fall Protection”,  “Constuction”, “Utility”, and “Certification and Training”. And as a member, you’re encouraged to start your own groups on any topic you wish. It’s easy, it’s free, it’s a guarantee you’ll learn something. So come join VSI and the community.

And what’s the ASSE? The ASSE is the American Society of Safety Engineers, and was established in 1911, in Des Plaines, IL. The ASSE is the oldest safety society in the nation, the oldest safety community, and today has members in 75 countries.  Their mission statement:

Today, ASSE is a full-service organization for its members and the public, providing key information and action on occupational safety, health and environmental issues and practices. ASSE members work to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, to create safer work and leisure environments and to develop safer products, enhancing the quality of life. (ASSE)

We couldn’t have said it any better, so we didn’t.

Versatile Systems, Inc.

We’re not your average Fall Protection company.

We’re Versatile Systems, Inc. Average doesn’t work here.