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Category: Uncategorised

This week many "visitors" are finding out that SAFTENG.net has MUCH LESS public information available to non-members.  As usual, I have received hate mail and the likes, but I thought I would share with you why SAFTENG is transitioning to a 100% Membership Based and Client Portal website:

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Written by Bryan Haywood

Category: Uncategorised

Published: 06 September 2013

SAFTENG.net has been around in several forms since 1994.  One of the core principals that made the site what it is today is the generosity of fellow safety professionals. The site's database of over 13,000 images came from our members, most of which have remained loyal to this day. The site has allowed me to make several significant financial contributions to Murray State's OSH Program, other safety professionals' fund raisers, and my local fire department; as the profits from the site go BACK INTO the safety community, as I promised in 2001. However, much of this stands to change now because of a few bad apples.

Just this year in 2013, I have been sued twice and threatened to be sued 3 more times and trust me folks the website it NOT ANYWHERE near the worth of these lawsuits. Fortunately, so far I am out ONLY my legal fees and one pay out, which tally into the thousands of dollars. Most suits were dropped because we could show we meant no harm and were all about educating others in an effort from preventing a similar occurrence. However, this last lawsuit we settled for $875 (+legal fees) and it is this one that hurts the most. I was sued by Getty Images because a person (I refuse to call them a safety professional) "contributed" their five (5) photos for a "free membership". They claimed the photos were theirs and taken by them. I provided the membership, uploaded the photos, and moved on. The following week, while on my family vacation, I get an alert e-mail from my hosting company warning me of excessive amounts of data being downloaded. I investigate to find that it is this new member. Seeing how he supposedly had met his membership requirements I did not freeze his account, but I have seen this behavior before! The following week, upon my return from my family vacation, I get a letter from Getty Images stating that one of the images this person "contributed" was one of their copyrighted images and they are suing me for copy right infringement. CLICK HERE to see the cover letter I received (and for those non-believers that think this is a scam I have provided the settlement receipt with the case number so you can waste your time and go to Getty's website and do your homework before you decide to pass judgement on me as a "scam").

So SAFTENG is at a set of major cross roads. It will not go away, as it is my labor of love; but there will be some significant changes coming. Those who are already members, not much will change for you - although it is very likely I will NOT be accepting any more contributions in return for membership payment. If you are getting a FREE membership now, that will NOT change, as I still believe friends, teachers, and military personnel DESERVE FREE access. Those who use the free areas of the site, you will most likely be impacted, as I am almost certain SAFTENG will become 100% membership based in 2014.

The site, as it is today, just does not generate enough revenue for the level of financial and legal risk it is exposing me and my family to, so something has to change. Four of the five lawsuits (or threats) centered around photo copy rights. 100% of the people involved in these cases were people who used an ISP e-mail address (Yahoo, AOL, MSN, etc.) and we know for a fact that one of the cases I was purposely set up and now the rightful owner of the photos is taking legal action against the proper individual. However, not all cases can be solved by providing the e-mail from which I obtained the materials, as is this recent case.

It is sad that there are people in our most ethical profession that will lie to save $25; but it is the reality we live and work in. So with that reality in mind, I have to figure out a way to make the site accessible to those looking to make a difference in the safety of others, while making sure I do not loose my house and the shirt off my family's back! I am open to ideas and suggestions.

I know there are a ton of safety websites out there these days that provide all kinds of excellent materials for free and I am well aware that every member can leave SAFTENG and join any number of these other sites. Maybe SAFTENG has out lived its worth; time will only tell. I want to thank the thousands of you that have been with me since the last major change in 2001, and there over over 1,200 of you that have been with me from the very beginng in 1994. Your unwavering financial support, moral support, and kind words have literally kept me energized all these years and for that I can never thank you enough! God Bless and I hope to be able to communicate with all of you in 2014 and beyond.

Bryan

NOTE:  The database of images has been scrubed to ensure that all the Getty Images have been removed.  This had VERY little impact on our numbers.  You, nor your business, are not at risk of legal problems using an image from SAFTENG that is copy righted.  SAFTENG bears this responsibility.  HOWEVER, not all websites go to the length I do to ensure they are not posting copy righted materials; so user beware, as Getty so politely informed me... just because you receive an image in an e-mail or from the internet does not make it yours.