Acquisition International - Business Excellence Awards 2017 29 Best Wireless Worker Safety Monitoring Products Supplier 2017 & Award for Innovation in Safety Monitoring Technology - Canada Blackline Safety Blackline have been developing and manufacturing connected safety technology for nearly a decade, providing employee-worn, wirelessly-connected devices accompany personnel wherever they work, watching over them to ensure their safety. Cody discusses how these innovative devices ensure the safety of users on remote sites and are designed to meet the varied needs of the firm’s clients. “At Blackline Safety, we work incredibly hard to deliver the maximum value for customers who purchase our employee safety monitoring technology. Each safety monitoring device incorporates a combination of wireless, location and automatic incident detection technology. Their purpose is to immediately alert monitoring personnel of a threat to the employee’s wellbeing. For example, our new G7 device is the only solution on the market to incorporate 2G/3G wireless, a modular environmental gas detection system and a two-way speakerphone that enables monitoring personnel to speak directly with the employee. Should an incident occur, the monitoring team can dispatch resources to the employee’s exact location.” “In order to ensure we meet clients’ needs, we work closely with clients to deploy an overall system that works according to their unique structure, employee roles, the work at hand and their environment. Our web-based monitoring software enables any business to monitor their personnel directly or we can take on this responsibility with 24/7 live monitoring. Each of our solutions is customised to each employee’s requirements—from fall detection, man-down detection, different gas monitoring requirements and even a check-in timer. An emergency response protocol is documented and on-filewithin themonitoring account, along with leading response management tools. Everything we do comes down to optimising emergency response time, to make the difference between employee rescue and recovery.” “When we engage with a client, our on boarding process begins with a discovery phase that ensures we have collected the requirements for a seamless adoption of our technology. Next, we set up monitoring accounts, add employees to an address book, establish the emergency response protocol and create device configuration profiles that tailor the operation of each monitoring device per employee role. Every employee is then trained on how to use equipment and a following test phase begins to reinforce employee training while optimising processes. When all assessments are in place, the system transitions to a live monitoring stage with full escalation of every safety alert.” Overall, Blackline Safety is a global business, supporting small and medium-sized businesses Targeting a broad cross-section of industries where safety is a corporate priority, Blackline Safety delivers safety solutions and location awareness. We spoke to Cody Slater to find out more about the firm and the services it offers. Contact: Cody Slater Contact Email:
[email protected] Company: Blackline Safety Address: Suite 101, 1215 – 13 Street SE, Calgary, T2G 3J4, Canada Phone: 001-403 451 0327 Web: www.blacklinesafety.com BE170052 through to multi-national companies. Offering services in over 200 countries, the firm can support the most challenging requirements across many industries, and requires a dedicated leader with vast industry experience. Cody, who started the firm started BW Technologies that grew to be a leader in portable gas detection that was ultimately acquired by Honeywell, outlines how he developed this firm into Blackline and has grown this company into the success it is today. “Started in the 1980’s, the team at BW worked hard to introduce many innovations, including the zero- maintenance, disposable gas detectors. Since the early 2000’s, the level of innovation in gas detection has slowed down as gas detection has become more of a commodity, primarily focusing on battery life.” “The key problem with traditional gas detectors is that they are disconnected and only call out with an audible alarm, hoping that someone is nearby to provide help. The result for any given situation is that several hours may go by without an employee receiving critical assistance.” “Blackline has begun the process of revolutionizing the safety industry with the introduction of connected safety monitoring technology that incorporates gas detection. Our new G7 converges the best in portable gas detection with our proven connected safety monitoring capabilities. We are the first vendor to offer a turn-key monitoring system with gas detection that connects with 2G/3G wireless technology rather than requiring expensive Wi-Fi networks in facilities or the need for a Bluetooth connection to a second device.” “Ultimately, the most important thing that I have learned, through the creation of BW Technologies and driving the growth of connected safety technology at Blackline Safety, is the need for a world-class team. I have had the fortunate experience to guide these two businesses, but each and every employee is crucial to any business’ success. Most businesses struggle in the early years to find their path and deliver the right products or services to their clients. This can be a challenging time but perseverance, resilience and the right team are the foundation for sustainable growth.” Moving forward, Blackline’s focus will remain firmly on ensuring the safety of everyone who uses their devises, as Cody concludes. “As we look to the future, we will continue innovating to bring the most value to our customers. Whether an employee faces an injury, a health event, gas exposure or needs to be evacuated, our solutions make this an efficient process to manage, to improve employee outcomes.”