2013, June

Mike Gelskey, Sr., Past President of the Web Sling and Tie Down Association (WSTDA) presented the details of a fatality resulting from the use of a damaged sling at the Fall 2012 meeting of the WSTDA held in Minneapolis, MN. The presentation explored the circumstances of the unfortunate and premature death of Rodney Armstrong Guy, a 32 year old lineman. Rodney Guy was killed at 2:15 PM on March 20, 1992 during a clipping operation of a 500kV transmission line in Rio Vista, CA. The sling had been used for 33 months and twice previously the very day Rodney was killed. Several factors lead to his death.

Mr. Michael J. Gelskey, Chief Executive Officer, Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc. was featured in the May issue of Wind Power Engineering and Development as a Person of Influence.To see the article in its entirety please visit Wind Power Engineering-Lift-It Mfg. Mr. Gelskey's passion is accident prevention training . He has presented sling and rigging safety classes for the past thirty-two years and has the distinction of presenting at the AWEA Operations and Maintenance Safety Conference on multiple occasions.