Skip to main content

True Hero: Michael Benton Jr.

Going Home Unharmed – Michael Benton Jr.'s Story

MSA Workman Sealed-Retracting Lifeline

At around 6:00 PM on April 29, 2018, in Bay #11 of the United Dairymen of Arizona facility, tragedy struck.

Or, more precisely, what could have been a horrible accident was successfully averted.

Michael Benton Jr. had finished cleaning a milk tanker and had begun to descend a ladder. As he moved his foot downward, it slipped off the rung, and the unthinkable happened—he lost his balance. However, in that terrifying moment, his MSA fall protection equipment worked flawlessly. His EVOTECH® Full-Body Harness and Workman® Self-Retracting Lanyard held him securely, enabling him to rest the tips of his toes on the ladder and helping him avoid disaster.

Don Cookston, UDA’s Safety Manager, explained, “Had Mike not been hooked up, he possibly would have fallen backwards into the equipment behind him—or, worse yet, into the next bay.” Such a fall would certainly have meant serious injury or death. But, thanks to his MSA personal protective equipment, Mike went home that night unharmed by the incident.

Don Cookston and the employees of UDA have relied on MSA products for four years. In addition to the products themselves, Mr. Cookston values MSA Safety’s fall protection and air monitor training classes. “MSA has been right here with us every step of the way,” he stated. “Our sales rep, John Myers, has done so much to help me boost the safety program here at UDA…. MSA has helped with getting the correct equipment to assure we are staying in compliance.”

And that’s something Mike Benton—and all the UDA employees—can be thankful for every day.