INSTANT ALERTS FOR INSTANT RESPONSE

At the headquarters of a U.S. stainless steel equipment manufacturer, nearly two-thirds of the 650 employees work in a million-square-foot facility that operates using 3 shifts (days, nights, and weekends). Producing equipment for industries including food and beverage, industrial, chemicals and biopharmaceutical, their work involves welding, grinding, heavy material handling, over the road trucking, blasting, and painting–activities with inherent hazards that the company closely monitors.  

But the real danger? Isolation. 

With round-the-clock operations and limited supervision on some shifts, a select number of workers often operated alone or out of sight and sound of others, making it difficult to get immediate help in an emergency.  

The company relied on radios with manual check-ins–but these could be disabled, leading to complacency and reducing visibility into worker safety. A fragmented alert system that required employees to activate radios while supervisors managed notifications across multiple platforms held potential to delay emergency response efforts. Safety data collection was manual and reactive, with no real-time insights or compliance tracking. A more integrated solution was required. 

After discovering Blackline’s offering online, the company evaluated and purchased multiple G7c Lone Worker devices to replace their outdated radios—with the following benefits:

Reduced fragmentation with all-in-one solution

Blackline’s connected hardware and software platform meant the company now had instant visibility into their lone workers that enabled quick response and a reporting platform for compliance management. Two different manually-activated systems—the radios and the alert management system—were no longer needed, creating operational efficiency gains while removing worker complacency. 

Boosted communication

With features like two-way communication, emergency SOS and alerts for falls and missed check-in, the safety status of workers was always known. The Blackline Live online dashboard was permanently displayed in a location with 24/7 monitoring from security personnel, allowing real time visibility of lone worker status across campus. 

Room for growth

Blackline’s scalable solution also provided room for growth. In the short term, the company is assessing purchasing beacons to enhance location accuracy where GPS alone falls short. In the long-term, they plan to evaluate the gas detection solution for their confined-space work needs. 

Thanks to G7, this steel process equipment manufacturer gained valuable safety benefits, including: 

• Improved visibility into lone worker safety: the cloud-connected platform ensures real-time data transmission, so a worker’s location and safety status are always known—and streamlines alert management. 

• Efficient data reporting with Blackline Analytics: automated notifications are generated through device usage that the company uses to manage compliance, enhance safety measures, and boost training.  

• A cultural shift in safety: adopting G7 has been more than an equipment upgrade—it has given workers the confidence that they can access help when needed. The devices’ ease of use, seamless connectivity and automation has reduced the complacency that stemmed from the previous manual platform. 

• Seamless change management: as a union shop, buy-in can be slow, but clear communication about “the why”, hands-on demos, and addressing data concerns built trust. Early stakeholder involvement and training boosted frontline adoption. Small tweaks—like belt clips and chest harnesses—improved comfort and usability. Management’s focus on wearability drove high acceptance, with no complaints about devices’ interference with worker tasks.