Success Stories

MEP Member

West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Story Title

DeBerry Enterprises Puts Safety First

Client Profile

DeBerry Enterprises, a powered tong rebuilder/operator for the oil and gas industry, is located in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Established in 2002, the company employs 7 people.

Situation

DeBerry Enterprises’ President, Ryan DeBerry, sought to locate an organization that could provide custom written safety programs, training and expert technical leadership for his company. For years, DeBerry Enterprises had operated a successful safety and health program, without injuries and illnesses, via verbal communication. Nevertheless, with his company expanding, DeBerry decided it was important to document the current safety program in writing. The company contacted the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WVMEP), a NIST MEP network affiliate.

Solution

WVMEP’s Senior Industrial Hygienist and Safety Specialist developed a written safety program and conducted on-site training for DeBerry Enterprises. Along with program development and training, WVMEP used its BullEx fire extinguisher training system to further educate a number of employees. The real fire simulator makes training cleaner, safer and smarter. Patented technology senses where the trainee aims and sweeps our compressed air/water training extinguishers and automatically varies the flames in response. The trainee experiences the feel of extinguishing the fire without the cost and mess associated with conventional live fire extinguisher training. As a result of WVMEP’s assistance with keeping DeBerry Enterprises in compliance with OSHA standards, the company was able to grow their business by providing a fully documented safety and health program. In addition, the written programs and safety training led to new employee skills and awareness.

Results

• Realized an estimated $25,000 in cost savings.
• Avoided an estimated $600,000 in loss prevention.
• Fully compliant with OSHA standards.

Testimonial

“We would like to compliment WVMEP on keeping our company in compliance with OSHA standards. The training project provided the key we needed to protect our workers from occupational injuries and/or illnesses. In addition, we were able to retain and gain customers by converting our safety and health program to a written document. WVMEP was very easy to work with and information was supplied in a timely and professional manner.”
Ryan DeBerry, Owner