Time Marches On

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published May 2015

It’s one of those facts of life that as you get older life seems to pick up speed until you wonder where the years have gone. The good times you had as a child are a distant memory. Life-changing events, such as your wedding and the birth of your children, appear to have just happened and suddenly you find yourself planning your 15-year wedding anniversary and throwing birthday parties for your teenagers who were just born yesterday. Time does indeed march on.

It marches on not only in our personal lives but also in our professional lives. In this issue, Cleaner Times|IWA takes a look at some wonderful progress that has been made in safety developments within the pressure washing and waterjetting industries. Terri Perrin, in her second installment of the column, “Focus on Safety,” highlights the importance of working at heights. One key safety idea is shared by Jim Pasternak of Northeast Power Washing regarding an inspection of the terrain that your equipment will be on. He states, “You must know the load limit that the soil can take and what structures might be buried underground when working with aerial lifts,” warns Pasternak. “If you position equipment on top of a septic tank, for example, it could collapse.”

In an interview with Dr. Marlo Dean, Diane Calabrese, outlines legal and regulatory changes that are bringing new developments to the industry. Dr. Dean points out that one topic he would have added to his presentation at CETA/ISSA would have been the provision on Conflict Minerals, which is attempting to protect civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo by prohibiting the purchase of minerals for use in pressure washing products that would provide weapons to armed groups. Attempting to save lives is noble, and this is an example of how the progress of time has allowed those in the pressure washing industry to reach beyond their sphere.

Finally, Terry Gromes Jr. of Terydon, shares how his company has created a technology that allows for greater operating safety by using proximity sensors that require a detection of a metallic surface before engaging.

It’s all in the pages of this month’s CT|IWA, so start reading and feel free to share with us stories that show how time in the pressure washing and waterjetting industries is marching on.

Michael Hamline
michael@adpub.com
(800) 525-7038