WORKPLACE SAFETY SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Vice - President
After completing a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, Barry began a career working in the electrical utility industry. Barry has diverse experience ranging from distribution design to overall management of a small investor owned utility with transmission, distribution and generation. He has worked in oil, coal, nuclear and hydroelectric generation facilities.
Since 2004, Barry has been performing arc flash hazard analysis and protection and coordination studies for such diverse industries as hospitals, schools, distilleries/wineries and industrial facilities. Barry is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island and recently left a major New England electric utility company to join WSSI on a full time basis.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Executive
- Founder and President of Safety Priority Consultants
- Instructor for the OSHA Training Institute Region 1 Education Center
Chip Darius has over 30 years of experience in occupational safety & health. Chip is founder and president of Safety Priority Consultants, LLC. Since 2000, Safety Priority has provided training and consulting in occupational safety & health, OSHA compliance, and safety management systems for over 800 clients in more than 30 states from coast to coast and internationally. He is an experienced litigation consultant and expert witness in more than 300 safety-related legal matters involving fatalities, catastrophic injuries and workplace hazards.
Since 2002, Chip has served as Instructor for the OSHA Training Institute Region 1 Education Center (OTIEC) and Adjunct Faculty for Keene State College. He teaches over 20 courses for the OTIEC, including 4-day OSHA general industry standards, 4-day OSHA construction standards, fall protection, machine guarding, scaffolding, Outreach Trainer courses, accident/incident investigation, safety management systems, and others.
Chip holds multiple safety-related certifications and certificates. He earned BS and MA degrees from the University of Connecticut, where he has also served as Adjunct Faculty. He is an active member and has served multiple times on the executive board of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), Connecticut Valley chapter. He holds ASSP certificates in Risk Assessment, Managed Fall Protection, and Global Safety Management.
He serves/has served on several committees responsible for developing and maintaining American National Standards, including
-ANSI Z490.1, "Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training"
-ANSI/ISEA 107: "American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Accessories"
-NFSI B101 Main Standards Committee on "Safety Requirements for Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention"
-ASTM F1637: "Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces"
-ASTM F1694: "Standard Guide for Composing Walkway Surface Investigation, Evaluation and Incident Report Forms for Slips, Stumbles, Trips and Falls"
-ISO/IEC Guide 51: "Safety Aspects - Guideline for their Inclusion in Standards."
-CDC/National Occupational Research Agenda Construction Sector Council Workgroups on COVID-19, Preventing Falls, and Preventing Struck-by Injuries & Fatalities
Chip has spent his career helping client companies of all sizes protect their people by improving safety performance and compliance with safety standards.
Dave Brunelle has over 40 years of experience in the electrical and power industry. After graduating from Essex Technical Vocational school with a Journeymen's License he worked at the University of Vermont for 10 years as an electrician during which time he acquired his Master Electrician License.
In 1981 David transitioned to work at Burlington Electric Department; the largest municipally-owned electric utility in Vermont. Starting out in the metering department at BED, David was promoted to the line crew advancing to journeyman lineman and then foreman. He was elected to shop steward for IBEW Local 300. During 31 years at BED, he completed training and certifications in First Aid, CPR, Haz-Mat, Confined Space and blood born pathogen safety and acquired a Class B driver's license. He was a member of several emergency response crews restoring power after hurricanes and ice storms along the east coast. In addition, he participated and judged several lineman skill competitions across the country.
In his spare time, he travels with his wife Sue to visit his grandchildren in Denver and San Diego. He also enjoys hunting and fishing at his camp in north east Vermont and adding to his extensive collection of sports cards.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- President
- WSSI Founder and President
Mr. Marchessault has nearly 30 years of experience in the Electric Utility Industry. Positions included Apprentice Power Plant Operator, Meter Specialist, High Voltage Electrician 1st Class and Environmental, Health and Safety Manager.
After completing his 4-year electrical apprenticeship program, he studied Electrical Engineering and obtained degrees with concentrations in business administration, behavioral psychology and communications.
He is now a Safety Consultant and the President of Workplace Safety Solutions, Inc. where he continues to work with many utilities and general industry in and outside the U.S.
His volunteer positions include: President and Board Chair for Vermont Utilities for Electrical Education, Inc., a non-profit organization comprised of the 21 electric utilities in the state of Vermont targeting electrical safety towards elementary and technical schools throughout Vermont as well as contractors and emergency responders working near power lines. He is the editor of the National Safety Council Utilities Division Newsletter; the past Safety Director for the Vermont Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, and is an active member in many safety and electrical-related organizations including the Electric Division of the National Fire Protection Association, Utilities Division of the National Safety Council, IEEE, NEPPA, and ASSE. He continues to maintain his electrical license; and holds several safety certifications including Certified Utility Safety Administrator (CUSA).
Lee Marchessault, WSSI founder and President, is one of the nation's leading safety consultants and OSHA trainers with over 40 years of experience in the electric industry. In addition to his electrical and safety experience and apprenticeship, Lee holds many certifications and licenses along with a history of industry affiliations and leadership roles.
Leslie Arnson has specialized in the field of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and dangerous goods transportation as well as environmental, health & safety (EH&S) compliance since 1989. Providing certification training for shipping dangerous goods/HAZMAT via air (IATA), Ground (DOT) and Sea (IMDG), as well as state-specific environmental & safety training and compliance, Leslie travels worldwide to offer on-site support.
After becoming a licensed environmental attorney, Leslie worked in engineering firms and later as the Environmental Manager for a RCRA Part B-permitted Treatment, Storage & Disposal Facility (TSDF) and is experienced in ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and auditing; developing Spill Prevention Control & Countermeasures (SPCC) Plans and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans, meeting record keeping requirements for air, waste and toxics programs; securing licenses; conducting OSHA, DOT, IATA, EPA and state-specific training courses; tracking regulatory changes; and developing and site-specific health & safety plans. Leslie provides compliance support for hazardous waste, water quality, SPCC, stormwater pollution prevention planning, air quality, toxic substances, HAZWOPER, emergency planning, OSHA and DOT/FAA regulatory requirements.
Louise Lynch, PT, CEES, CWCE is the owner/president of Injury & Health Management Solutions a company that has served as a resource to employers on injury prevention, ergonomics, health promotion and industrial rehabilitation since 2003. She started consulting beyond Vermont borders in 2015 and started a private ergonomic consulting business called L2Ergnomics. She provides employers with ergonomic evaluation and training, as well as consulting on how to reduce soft tissue injuries in the work place. "I believe work injuries can be prevented".
Louise holds a physical therapy degree from the University of Vermont. She has been practicing in the field of ergonomic, injury prevention and industrial rehabilitation for over 30 years. She is a Certified Ergonomic Evaluator specialist (CEES) and Certified Work Capacity Evaluator. She has been a member of the Vermont Safety and Health Council since 1990 and
served several positions on the Board of Directors including President in the late 90's. Louise speaks internationally in the area of Ergonomics, Functional Testing, Post Offer Testing , and Marketing and is currently an instructor for the OSHA Institute and Matheson Education & Training. She is a dynamic speaker who adds both humor and insight into her
Mark worked at Eversource in New Hampshire for 34 years where he held various positions in distribution engineering and meter engineering. For the final fourteen years of his career at Eversource, he worked in their Technical Training Department where he taught a variety of subjects such as safe work methods, equipment operation, electrical theory, CPR and first aid, and advanced driving techniques to line workers, substation electricians and meter mechanics. He also developed and delivered a virtual training program for operations supervisors who had no experience in the utility industry. Topics included: applied electricity, print reading, transmission and distribution equipment, distribution system protection and automation, transmission and substation protection, and underground secondary networks. In addition to his work for Eversource, Mark was an instructor in the State of New Hampshire's Electrical Apprentice Program for 10 years where he primarily taught electrical theory.
Rick Tobey entered the utility business with Florida Power and Light Co. in 1965 as a helper. He held the positions of Lineman, foreman, troubleman, Switching coordinator, crew supervisor, superintendent and Supervisor of safety power delivery Florida Power and Light Co. He retired from FPL in 2002 and worked for several contractors as Apprentice trainer and safety manager. He then formed his own business in 2006.
Rick has extensive training in distribution, transmission, underground and substation. At FPL, he was on the Gloving committee as an instructor and advisor. He also was on the Serious Injury analysis team and have investigated 15 fatalities as well as many serious injuries. He has trained most of the Green Mountain Power linemen in gloving. He trained many of Chain electrical contractors, T&D Solutions and Jamaica Power system linemen in transmission hot stick techniques as well as having been on a transmission hot stick crew for over two years sticking daily. He has trained bare hand techniques first learned at FPL and then re-certified by Chance-Hubbell.
Rick now teaches hot stick and bare hand for Southeast Linemen Training Center in Trenton Georgia. He subcontracts to ISPC, WSSI SLTC and hold a C.U.S.P rating from USOLN. He has also been safety manager for Wilbros Inc. in Maine for a 345kv project, performed safety oversight for VELCO, 3 Phase electrical contractors ( NY, Mass).
Shari Langlois, RN, CEAS II attended the University of Vermont where she earned her BS in Nursing as a second degree to her BS in Biology from Trinity College of Vermont. Bringing 25 years of experience as an Occupational Health & Safety Specialist from both General Industry & the Construction Industry, Shari specializes in injury prevention & injury management program design with a systems approach that encompasses as much attention to OSHA compliance as to ensuring best possible outcomes for individuals with work-related injuries & illnesses. This experience gathered from settings in manufacturing, healthcare, schools and construction couples exceedingly well with her specialty as a Registered Nurse in behavioral health. Shari enjoys a proven track record with her clients for decreasing injury rates and claims costs while improving organizational efficiencies and employee engagement through the development of comprehensive health & safety programs and the delivery of their associated training curricula.
Originally from Northern Vermont, Ms. Langlois currently lives in Saratoga Springs, NY and offers consulting services throughout New England, New York State and growing clientele throughout the United States. In her free time, Shari enjoys hiking, biking and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Office Manager
- Office Manager / Consultant Staff
An actor by trade, Thea is no stranger to trying on new roles. She's worked as a security officer, a social media manager, tech support, a dispatcher, and, most recently, a singing bartender. But no matter the job, Thea loves helping folks and welcomes any opportunity to help them meet their goals.
Timothy worked as a lineman for over 40 years, starting in 1971 building transmission lines. In 1973, he started for Washington Electric co-op as an apprentice and worked his way up to foreman. Timothy built distribution lines, transmission lines, and substations. He taught 8 years of the apprenticeship for IBEW and the state of Vermont. He retired in 2012 and started working as a safety consultant in 2013. He has worked for Work Place Safety Solutions, Par Electric, East Coast Safety and Eversource Electric/ Transmission lines and substations. Timothy and his wife moved from Vermont to the North Shore in MA. He enjoys hunting, golfing and traveling with his wife, Carmon.
Walter Oakes began his career in the electrical field in the early 1960s as an Apprentice Electrician.
After 3 years, he changed his career to the power industry he became an Apprentice Lineman and ultimately a Working Forman before becoming the Safety Manager in 1973.
He progressed through many management positions and finished his career in the utility industry as the VP of Field Operations for Green Mountain Power Corp., Vermont's second largest electric utility. Now, as a consultant, Walter is a Certified instructor in CPR/First Aid and 10-hour and 30-Hour Construction Instruction through the OSHA training institute. He brings years of safety compliance experience and a knack for effective training to the WSSI team.