Blackline Safety boosts in-house QA to enhance global reliability

Techday NZ

5 days ago

Blackline Safety has confirmed an extensive expansion of its quality assurance programme, aimed at enhancing product testing and reliability for its global market.
The company, which operates from its headquarters in Canada and maintains offices in the UK, France, the US, and UAE, manufactures connected safety wearables and gas monitors used by more than 2,200 organisations and protecting over 165,000 workers worldwide. Its technology, focused on live monitoring and real-time data, is designed to support timely response to incidents and safer working conditions across multiple sectors.
The expansion involves significant growth of the company's quality assurance team, upgrades to inspection equipment, and increased in-lab testing of its entire product range. According to Blackline, these efforts are being conducted entirely in-house at its manufacturing facility in Calgary, building on the company's historical investment of CAD $2 million in surface mount technology and inspection tools.
Blair Svoboda, Director, Quality Assurance at Blackline Safety, described the company's approach to safety technology, stating, "When most people think of safety technology, they think about the moment it matters – a gas leak detected, an SOS alert triggered, or a worker protected – but our team is focused on everything that leads up to that moment because protection starts on the bench, in the lab, and on the line."
The firm utilises automated equipment to simulate real-world conditions, rigorously testing product reliability through procedures such as repeated dock insertions and button presses, and exposing devices to water immersion, extreme temperatures, and dust penetration. This testing aims to ensure the units can withstand environmental stressors that could potentially compromise safety-critical operations.
Svoboda highlighted the importance of proximity between quality assurance and production, stating, "All of our quality assurance testing is done in true-to-life simulated environments just steps from the manufacturing floor to enable us to react in real time as needed – a process that just can't be achieved when manufacturing is done elsewhere."
The company's quality assurance team, which has grown by more than 250% to encompass a global staff of 35 specialists, conducts a rigorous 68-point test on every device before shipment. This comprehensive assessment includes radio, sensor, and alarm function tests, as well as connectivity checks across both cellular and satellite networks to ensure each device meets required operational standards. "Every test and check in our QA process comes down to one simple question: will this device keep someone safe when it counts?" Svoboda emphasized. "At Blackline, quality assurance isn't about ticking boxes – it's about protecting professionals like the lone worker in a remote oilfield, the firefighter charging into danger, or the technician maintaining a power grid in a storm."
Blackline Safety reports that its connected devices and solutions have captured over 286 billion data-points and generated more than eight million emergency alerts, reflecting the scale of data and activity supported through its network spanning over 75 countries. The company emphasises that quality assurance extends beyond compliance, supporting its objective to enhance workplace safety and operational performance.