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GRAVITEC IS READY FOR 2013
 As 2012 comes to a close, all of us here at Gravitec Systems Inc. reflect upon what has been a tremendous year. The highlight, for us, has been the opening of our new facility in Poulsbo, Wash. We've expanded our square footage three-fold, featuring a designated ISO 17025-accredited testing laboratory and an ample training area. With the inclusion of three sizable classrooms in addition to our training space, our capacity for students has grown, as well as our resource capabilities to provide hands-on, life-saving training in a superior classroom setting. On August 1st, we celebrated our new location by hosting an open house. We welcomed many new friends into the facility and had a good showing of familiar faces. The event was a great success and a remarkable way to launch this new chapter in our history. Our achievements in 2012 have us poised for a 2013 full of opportunity, and we know that this is largely a credit to the efforts of our Gravitec team, as well as the loyalty of our exceptional clients. We share all of our success with you, and will continue to provide our clients with the highest level of quality, all-encompassing fall protection and rescue services.  | | Gravitec Visual Tour |
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THE CONNECTORS QUIZ
CLICK HERE to test your knowledge of compatibility
Good Luck!
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2013 DESK CALENDAR
Gravitec's desk calendar includes our open enrollment training schedule for 2013. Reply with your mailing address and contact information to [email protected].
Note: Desk calendars are available on a first-come first-served basis. Quantities are limited. US requests only.
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TRAINING SPOTLIGHT
North America's Largest Indoor Fall Protection
& Rescue Training Facility
- Two Communication Towers
- Fully Instrumented Drop Test Tower
- Two Wind Turbine Simulators
- Twelve Fixed Ladders with Cages & Ladder Safety Systems
- Flat Roof Fall Restraint Exercise Area
- Rope Access Training Area
- Fixed & Temporary Guardrail Training Aids
- First-Person Up Training Area
- Suspended Work-Positioning Training Area
- Anchorage Connector Training Area
- Vertical Lift Training Area
- Tripod & Retrieval Winch Training Aids
- Permanent & Temporary Horizontal Lifeline Area
Additionally, we are happy to announce NEW STRUCTURES FOR EARLY 2013!
There is something for every industry:
- 30' indoor monopole
- 30' self supported tower with a 10' face
- A similated house rooftop with varied pitches
- Fall restraint training area with multiple length and anchor options to simulate aerial lifts, rooftops, hoist areas and unprotected edges
- Horizontal life line training areas that feature commercially available and custom HLL solutions
- Overhead rigid rail horizontal lifeline, which offers simulation of commercially available rigid rail systems, commonly utilized for transportation garages, aerospace hangers, rail yards, and the trucking industry
 ...to follow our progress!
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DECEMBER'S SPOTLIGHT COURSE OFFERING
Competent Tower Climber & Rescue Training - Gravitec's Tower Climber and Rescue Competent Person Course curriculum is a combination of classroom sessions - focused on fall protection theory - and practical hands-on exercises, which train workers to a competent level in fall protection and rescue for the tower industry. A Refresher course is also offered.
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VIDEO: FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate the hidden cost that comes with the demand for better and faster cell phone service. (Written and Produced by Travis Fox)
 | | FRONTLINE: Cell Tower Deaths |
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ASK AN INSTRUCTOR...
Answers submitted by William Wright, Senior Instructor at Gravitec Systems.
What's the background of most of the Gravitec Instructors?
We hire from a diverse group of people from a variety of backgrounds. However, most of our trainers come from the mountaineering, military and rope access world. Our commonalities are that we have a healthy respect for gravity and we all love to travel. How much traveling does the Gravitec training department actually do? Last year Gravitec instructors collectively traveled far enough to go to the moon and back - twice! This distance encompasses the 11 countries that we taught fall protection and rescue courses in, including: Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Greece, Equatorial Guinea (Africa) and Singapore, to name a few. When Gravitec instructors are not off traveling to some exotic location teaching fall protection and rescue, what can I expect to find them doing? In the summertime here in the Pacific Northwest, you'll find most of our instructors outdoors, doing some downhill mountain biking, backcountry hiking and camping, or climbing at some of the great locales Washington has to offer. Almost everyone in the department either snowboards or skies, so in the wintertime you'll find most of the staff up on the slopes. What do you think is the secret to fall protection training? I would tell you there are several secrets to training; quality materials, professionalism, respect for students, etc., but two things really stand out to me. The first is to make it enjoyable. It's difficult in today's work world to take the necessary amount of time to do a good job with training, so its' depressing to have someone spout regulations at you for a few days. We make our training enjoyable, educational, and students appreciate that by having some fun. The second secret to success is to conduct the training in such a manner that a change in attitude takes place. It's pretty easy to cycle students through exercises where they use fall protection equipment and "check the box", but training must create an environment where a change in attitude occurs. The objective of all Gravitec courses is to have a student who is wanting and willing to protect themselves when they are working at height. Send your Trainer Questions to Shannon Meyers at [email protected] |
EQUIPMENT NEWS AND REVIEWS
Gravitec Systems, announces its partnership with LATCHWAYS, one of the most exclusive equipment manufacturers in the world. With the availability to distribute their products and include them in our engineered designs, we are passing on some of the most innovative and effective equipment on the market today to our clients.
 | | Latchways plc corporate video (English) |
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DECEMBER EQUIPMENT SPECIAL
During the month of December, make a purchase of $1,000.00 or more from our Equipment Store and receive a Petzl Pixa 1 Headlamp (a $38.95 value).
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WHY WE LOVE THE AUSTRIALPIN POWER FLY HARNESS CARABINER...
If you have a full body harness that requires a frontal connection, such as a carabiner, then that harness probably came with a screw-gate carabiner. These carabiners are only effective if the wearer remembers to rotate the gate COMPLETELY closed. As a safer, more efficient alternative, we recommend the AustriAlpin Power Fly Harness Carabiner. Hailing from the Stubai region of the Austrian Alps, the Power Fly carabiner is a strong auto-locking connector with a breaking strength of 26kN (5,850 lbs). All of the Gravitec Systems instructors use the Yates Basic Rope Access Harness, and our frontal connection of choice is the AustriAlpin Power Fly, due to its strength, design and convenience.
PROPER USE
If you are using a rope access harness, the gate of the Power Fly should face to the left. The left-facing gate allows both the webbing from the harness and the chest ascender strap to situate itself neatly with the Petzl Croll attached. Failure to do this will cause the chest ascender to rest perpendicular to the body, which is both awkward for the user and incorrect. Please note that this carabiner should only be used for harnesses that require the chest piece to be connected to the seat section.
If you'd like more information, contact one of our knowledgeable equipment advisors for pricing and availability.
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ISO 17025 TESTING LAB
Did you know that as of October 3rd, 2012, all manufacturers of ANSI fall protection equipment should test their equipment in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory? Well, it's true and Gravitec Systems is proud to be an ISO 17025 accredited testing laboratory, dedicated to fall protection.
To schedule a testing session, contact David Lough at (800) 755-8455 or [email protected].
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NEWS ROUNDUP
NSC 2012: Fall Protection Tops OSHA's List of Most Cited Violations for 2012
Fall protection, hazard communication and scaffolding violations once again fought for the top spots in OSHA's annual top 10 most frequently cited violations list. During an Oct. 23 presentation on the expo floor at NSC 2012 in Orlando, Fla., Deputy Director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs Patrick Kapust outlined the agency's 10 most frequently cited violations for fiscal year 2012. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Innovative Safety Standard Now Available From American Society of Safety Engineers
DES PLAINES, IL (September 26, 2012) - The newly revised ANSI Z10-2012 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Standard (OHSMS) is now available through the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). This standard provides an overall blueprint for widespread benefits in occupational safety and health, as well as in productivity, financial performance, quality and other organizational and business objectives. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
CFOI Report Shows 666 Fatal Workplace Falls in 2011 The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its 2011 summary of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data on Sept. 20, reporting a preliminary total of 4,609 fatal work injuries for the year. That is below the final count of 4,690 in 2010, but BLS also noted final counts in the past three years have added an average of 166 deaths to the total -- so it's still possible 2011's worker death count will exceed the prior year's. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
New Fall Protection Rules OSHA's new fall protection rules take effect December 15. In a nutshell, the new rules stipulate that for residential roofs sloped 4 on 12 or greater, contractors must use "acceptable" fall protection equipment such as guardrails, safety nets or fall arrests systems with body harnesses and deceleration devices. Failure to comply could lead to fines as great as $7,000 per worker. READ FULL ARTICLE |
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SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK
Let us know how we're doing. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for Gravitec, please e-mail us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!
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CONTACT US TOLL FREE: 800.755.8455 E-MAIL: [email protected] www.gravitec.com To share this e-mail with a friend, . You are receiving this e-mail because you are a Gravitec client or have expressed interest in Gravitec's services. You can unsubscribe from Gravitec mailings at any time. Click the SafeUnsubscribe link below. |
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