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Thirty-seven years ago, long before training was fashionable I began training sling users and inspectors. I would travel anywhere at my own expense and on occasion, work around the clock with the goal of enabling men and women to perform their job tasks more safely. Our motto and mission has always been, “Accident Prevention Through Education”. We are passionate about training and we know we have a sacred duty to instill a quest for excellence in our students that goes far beyond traditional sling and rigging topics. Our passion is contagious and on several occasions our students applaud and thank us for our message, which is God, country, family, life’s blessings and a quest for excellence that does not allow compromise.

The Lift-it family mourns the loss of Edna May Quintero. Edna was born July 5, 1927 in East Los Angeles, CA and married the love of her life, Peter Quintero during the tumultuous years of WWII. During the following years they were blest with three children: Robert, Michael and Yolanda. Edna was one of the four original, Lift-It employees with a 39 year career in the synthetic sling fabrication. Michael J. Gelskey, Sr., CEO and Founder remarked, “Edna was an invaluable part of our company for her entire career and was our first retiree. She led by example and always challenged us to be the best version of who we could be. We were blest by her years of mentoring and by her kind and loving ways, which truly were the heart and soul of our organization.”

Four Benefits of drum handling slings: 1) Better load control via positive drum engagement 2) Less damage to drums and/or contents 3) Ability to keep drums to a minimum height during transport 4) The ease of efficient drum handling. Four Risks when handling drums: 1) Non-positive drum engagement: Placing drums on top of forklift tongs or “grappling” drums under the rim does not provide for positive engagement and/or control of the drum. 2) Handling partially filled drums: Fluid can “slosh” back and forth resulting in dynamic loading and loss of load control. 3) Handling damaged drums: Damaged drums do not allow a firm grip between the drum sling tightening band and the drum surface.

Lift-It Manufacturing Company, Inc. is the West Coast Warehouse for Miller Lifting Products. The same service that you have come to expect from Lift-It is now available for Miller Lifting Products, the most respected swivel, block and overhaul ball manufacturer in our industry. Call today and your swivels are on the way.

Why shovel snow when you could attend not just the AWEA O&M and Safety Conference, BUT the pre-conference activities in San Diego, California? The AWEA Operations & Maintenance and Safety Conference is scheduled for Feb. 27- March 1 , 2017. The wind industry will come together to recognize unique challenges and identify solutions in improving operations, maintenance and safety. Consider extending your tour of duty by enrolling in the AWEA O&M and Safety Pre-Conference which features Sling and Rigging Training presented by Lift-It Manufacturing on Feb. 27th, 2017.

The Lift-it family mourns the loss of our brother, Wolfgang W. Kiel. Wolfgang was born May 5, 1949 in Samoa and married the love of his life, Sao Keil on 10-26-1973. Their love produced three sons, Albert, Wolfgang and Shane. Mr. Keil was one of the four original employees of Lift-It Manufacturing, with a 42 year career in the rigging industry. Michael J. Gelskey, Sr, CEO and Founder, Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc., remarked, “Wolfgang sewed hundreds of millions of stiches, each with diligence and dedication. Every sling he made was a work of art and he was an integral part in establishing the quality, service and ultimately the success of not only Lift-it, but successful load handling activities throughout the world. Wolfgang never worked for me, I was honored to have worked with him for over forty-two years.”

What type of idiots would spend thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars JUST to develop Guides for the proper use of Sling Protection? We, the Lift-It Lunatics would be those idiots. Some sophisticated organizations and supposedly knowledgeable and reputable sling fabricators just don’t get it! Paper thin, “sling protection” is sold with no warnings. If used properly those specific devices will provide protection from abrasion but WILL NOT prevent damage to slings from cutting. Sling users in highly critical and scrutinized material handling operations continue to use what is described in “incident” reports as inadequate “softeners”.

LIFT-IT MANUFACTURING Co., Inc. GAINS LEEA APPROVED TRAINING PROVIDER STATUS Following a rigorous audit of their training facility and Synthetic Sling Rigging and Train the Trainer courses, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is pleased to announce that Accredited Training Provider status has been awarded to Lift-It Manufacturing Company, Inc. The audit was conducted by LEEA’s Learning and Development staff, Andrew Wright and Scott Barnes, his colleague during a 5-day visit to the Lift-It Learning Center in Pomona, California. Andrew Wright (LEEA Learning and Development Manager) expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality that the LEEA representatives had received from Mr. Michael Gelskey, Sr., Chief Executive Officer and the Lift-It team throughout their visit.

Today we will explore Gas Cylinder Cradles, their construction and use. Gas Cylinders are heavy-walled metal cylinders designed to store compressed gases. The hazards associated with these gases include unplanned displacement, explosion, chemical release and other consequences resulting from cylinder damage. For these reasons lifting and transporting compressed cylinders can have extremely dangerous consequences due to cylinder shape and lack of lifting points.

Lift-It Manufacturing is pleased to announce the release of informational videos for the rigging and material handling industries. The informational videos will feature product and technical information as well as regulatory, compliance and training updates. Additional videos will be released weekly, so stay tuned and you may view them on our YouTube channel, Facebook page and at the Lift-It website. Thank you for taking the time to watch and learn. If there is anything we can do to help you we stand ready and willing to assist you in being the best you can be. Your quest for excellence is to be commended and pass on the gift you have received to others and particularly to those you are tasked with protecting.

Today we will explore cargo nets, their construction and use. Cargo nets originally were named for their use in transferring cargo to and from ships but today they are used for a much wider variety of Lifting applications, in particular for vertical lifting of irregular and odd shaped loads, retrieval, load securement, barrier netting and even obstacle courses. The first step in selecting a net is to know the application and what material would be best suited for your particular application. There are many different types of materials available but the best and most common are flat webbing and rope cordage.

Michael Gelskey Sr., CEO, Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc., is the featured speaker in the upcoming Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association Webinar titled, “Synthetic Sling Inspection Simplified.” Slings are an important part of any lifting operation. Proper sling usage and inspection are of utmost importance; possibly more important than the operation of the crane itself. Mr. Gelskey will provide a step-by-step guide for sling inspection and the proper techniques necessary to properly inspect synthetic slings. The “Synthetic Sling Inspection Simplified” webinar will provide information on inspection systems, techniques and removal from service criteria for web, round and Twin-Path® slings.