Volunteerism is the Backbone of WSTDA

By Michael Gelskey, Sr., WSTDA Vice President

Some may feel that I am fixated on the legal, doom and gloom stuff. Thankfully not a single person has referred to me as Chicken Little in my constant pleadings, that “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.”

Certainly litigation is not an every day priority and is often regarded in a context with the same anticipation and anxiety of an audit by a tax levying and collection agency. (You fill in the appropriate acronym, given your country, province or state)

The Legal Resource Committee was directed by the WSTDA Board of Directors to fine tune the potential agreement with Applied Safety and Ergonomics, Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was completed on 07Feb and signed contracts exchanged.

On 21Feb the Legal Resource Committee met via conference call with Dr. Young and his assistant, Ms. Elaine Wisniewski, MSE, MA, CPE, CPSM for 75 minutes. We further discussed the project and more importantly, the deliverables.

It is extremely important for you to realize that the following process will result in warning labels that will replace existing WSTDA labels and product information bulletins. These products will also be available to non-members.

Developmental Process
Review of existing warnings, regulations, standards and litigation
Identification of existing and potential hazards
Development of prototype warnings and bulletin
Evaluation of product warnings
Presentation of warnings

In the not too distant future, a survey will be available on the WSTDA web site that will assist the committee and your association in identifying and analyzing hazards. I ask, urge, plead and beg that all manufacturers complete this ANONYMOUS survey. The survey will be the backbone of some of the developmental work. It will also be available to other associations, such as the SC&RA and AWRF and from a statistical sampling standpoint, the more, the merrier.

Volunteerism is the backbone and strength of the WSTDA. Your Legal Resource Committee is comprised of: Linda Summars, Greg Babinchak, Bob Jasany, Don Lewis, Gerry Penaro and Mike Gelskey. Fred Stringfellow attends all meetings and is also involved in interfaces and communications with the vendor, Applied Science and Ergonomics, ASE.

It was noted that in our 21Feb meeting that the tiedown community was not fairly represented. The committee has new members that will also be assisting for the vital input, so necessary in the developmental process. Thank you: Becky Theissen, Ralph Abato and Jim Calico for finding that non-existent, “extra” time.

Our goal is to have the work completed for the Newport Meeting with a presentation of the project and deliverables by Dr. Stephen Young, ASE. This may be somewhat unrealistic and I am confident that if we miss the Newport meeting, that it will not be for lack of effort. Certainly, the St. Louis meeting will be an attainable date.

I am also extremely proud of the excellent committee work that is underway by the web, round, tiedown and testing subcommittees. Many projects have been completed and those in process have the necessary requisites to facilitate meaning, impact and importance for the using and manufacturing communities, served by the Web Sling and Tiedown Association.

The holiday season seems so distant, at this point, as we eagerly await the arrival of Spring and our meeting in Newport. What a fantastically beautiful setting for such an important achievement in the life span of our association.

Remember, the way to maximize your return on investment is by attending the meetings. This is when you derive so much benefit from the work and discussion being done by the committees. If you want to “compound” the return on your investment, contact the committee chair and get involved in committee work and make a difference.

Enjoy the wonderful, fever pitch of the business cycle, travel safe, and be safe, as we look forward to achieving important milestones and to our soon to be, “historic” meeting in Newport.

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Web Sling & Tie Down Association

2105 Laurel Bush Rd. • Suite 200 • Bel Air, MD 21015 • phone: 443-640-1070 • fax: 443-640-1031 • wstda@ksgroup.org • www.wstda.com