When was the last time you performed an inspection of your employees’ personal protection equipment? Do you regularly check ladders and fall protection gear? What about your emergency eyewash and first aid stations? What’s your plan for accidental spills? Are your lockout / tagout procedures in line with OSHA standards?

If you had to think about any of these, it’s time to act. BlackHawk can help with a unique set of consulting services specially designed for key safety areas.

Jeff King, BlackHawk Category Leader, Safety/MRO Products, explains. “Our trusted supplier partners have the expertise to do audits, evaluations and inspections for PPE and safety products.  We bring the partner to the customer’s site. Our partner assesses the situation. Together with the customer, we determine the solutions needed — new equipment, upgrades, repairs, overhaul, change in procedures, training, whatever the case may be.  Typically there is no cost to the customer for the consulting.”

“Our goal is to help our customers have healthy and safe working environments for their people, in the factory or outdoors at a job site.  Safe work conditions also contribute to employee satisfaction and happiness leading to more productive, operationally excellent operations.”

Prevention and preparedness allow companies to avoid accidents and their associated costs — medical expenses, workers compensation, downtime, cleanups, damage repair. The time invested for the evaluations is time well spent. Some of the common areas in which BlackHawk and its partners offer consultative PPE and safety evaluations or inspections include:

• Hearing / Noise level evaluations – Ensure that a customer is equipping its employees with the proper protection and options. Consulting partner: 3M.
• Respiratory fit testing – Recommended annually for all employees and for new hires. Ensures that all employees are properly fitted and protected with the correct respiratory gear. Partner: 3M.
• Sling, lifting straps – Recommended annual inspection occurring for any companies utilizing slings or lifting straps.  All equipment should be inspected before and after each use. Metal slings should be inspected annually as well.  Partner: Lift-All.
• Eyewash – Eyewash stations should be inspected on a semi-annual basis to ensure that the solution is properly being changed out.  Often these go unused for long periods of time and can grow bacteria, which would be harmful in the event the station needs to be used. Partner: Honeywell Safety.
• Ladder inspections – Perform annually to ensure that assemblies are in working condition and capable of bearing stated loads safely. Partner: Werner.
• Fall protection equipment – should be inspected before and after each use, after any event and annually to ensure that all gear is properly functioning and in good working order. Partner: Honeywell Safety.
• Lock Out/Tag Out – Helps customers implement or refine their lock out / tag out programs. Partner: MasterLock.
• Spill control/containment – Helps customers implement or refine their spill control/containment programs. Partner: Brady/SPC

BlackHawk Safety Consulting Services are another example of our commitment to be your partner “across the production floor”. We deliver value through products and services that lower your total cost of operation.