logo
Blackline Safety Wins Four Prestigious Awards for New Area Monitor

Blackline Safety Wins Four Prestigious Awards for New Area Monitor

National Post13-05-2025

Article content
EXO 8—now shipping with gamma detection—recognized for innovation, design, and advancing worker safety
Article content
Article content
CALGARY, Canada — Blackline Safety Corp. (TSX: BLN), a global leader in connected safety technology, announced today that its new EXO 8 area monitor — the world's only direct-to-cloud portable area monitor capable of detecting up to eight gases plus gamma radiation — has earned four major awards. These include the internationally renowned Red Dot Design Award and three 2025 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Industrial Hygiene Awards.
Article content
'This recognition not only highlights the value we're bringing to safety professionals worldwide but also reinforces our commitment to redefining what's possible in proactive safety management.' — Cody Slater, CEO, Blackline Safety
Article content
These honors spotlight EXO 8's leadership in industrial safety innovation, user-centered design, and real-world impact.
Article content
The Red Dot Design Awards, a globally recognized symbol of excellence in product design, recognized EXO 8 for combining advanced functionality with intuitive design based on real feedback from industrial users.
Article content
The OH&S Industrial Hygiene Awards recognize outstanding product achievements that improve workplace safety through superior industrial hygiene. Blackline received awards in the following categories:
Article content
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Gas & Vapor Detection
IoT – Connected Devices
Article content
'Winning four industry awards for EXO 8 is a testament to Blackline Safety's commitment to driving innovation in connected safety technology,' said Cody Slater, CEO and Chair, Blackline Safety. 'This recognition not only highlights the value we're bringing to safety professionals worldwide but also reinforces our commitment to redefining what's possible in proactive safety management. We are incredibly proud to see EXO 8 recognized as the gold standard for protecting people and communities in the most challenging environments.'
Article content
Launched in September 2024, EXO 8 is now shipping with gamma radiation detection. This new gamma capability is particularly valuable for fire and hazmat teams who face a fatal injury rate three times higher than average workers.
Article content
'Gamma radiation is in a lot more places than people think — like traffic collisions, fires, warehouse fires, industrial accidents — so these types of emergencies are a multi-threat environment,' said Bobby Salvesen, Co-founder and CEO, The Haz Mat Guys. 'EXO 8 can help because it's able to pick up both chemical hazards and radiological threats in one device, and fast detection gives us faster actions.'
Article content
Key features of EXO 8 include up to 100 days of battery life, drop-and-go setup, and seamless connectivity via cellular or satellite networks. A modular sensor system allows teams to adapt quickly to changing environments.
Article content
EXO 8 has already secured major contracts, including a recent $1.6 million order from Total Safety for its rental fleet. Adoption has also surged in fire-hazmat sectors, where Blackline has seen 175% customer growth in the past year.
Article content
Blackline previously won Red Dot Awards in 2017 for its G7 multi-gas detector, and in 2023 for its G6 single-gas detector.
Article content
About Blackline Safety: Blackline Safety is a technology leader driving innovation in the industrial workforce through IoT (Internet of Things). With connected safety devices and predictive analytics, Blackline enables companies to drive towards zero safety incidents and improved operational performance. Blackline provides wearable devices, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software, and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and enhance overall productivity for organizations with customers in more than 75 countries. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, Blackline provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 275 billion data-points and initiated over eight million emergency alerts. For more information, visit BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Instagram.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
Contacts
Article content
MEDIA CONTACT
Blackline Safety
Jodi Stapley, Director, Brand
jstapley@blacklinesafety.com
+1 587-355-5907
Article content
Article content
Article content

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bat-flip king José Bautista's second act is all business
Bat-flip king José Bautista's second act is all business

Globe and Mail

timean hour ago

  • Globe and Mail

Bat-flip king José Bautista's second act is all business

Ask any Blue Jays fan where they were the night of José Bautista's legendary 2015 bat flip, and chances are they'll remember exactly what they were doing. Mr. Bautista's memory of that moment, however, is surprisingly hazy. 'I remember hitting the ball,' he says, 'and then I was just … in the dugout, getting a drink. I kind of blacked out.' The sound, he adds, was overwhelming. 'It felt like the stadium was shaking.' Over a decade with the Jays, Mr. Bautista became one of the most iconic figures in Canadian sports – not just for his home runs or six All-Star appearances, but for the intensity and swagger he brought to the field. These days, he's busy building a quieter second act. Since retiring, Mr. Bautista has acquired a professional soccer team, backed a coffee farm in his native Dominican Republic, opened a fitness facility and taken stakes in multiple brands. He's invested in Canadian companies like Flow Water and is now the national face of Mary Brown's Chicken. He's also remained connected to his Canadian fanbase, supporting grassroots sports and raising funds for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted on Saturday. He sat down beforehand to talk about what life is like post-MLB, his evolution as an entrepreneur, and how he sees his legacy. What parts of your baseball career show up in your business life? The biggest thing is situational awareness – reading the environment and adjusting on the fly. You've got to understand the economic cycles, what engagement with your fans (or customers) looks like, and what you're really offering. That same thinking applies in business. Things are always shifting, so you have to stay resilient and adapt. You won't turn a business around overnight. But if you keep showing up, stay thoughtful, surround yourself with good people and put in the work consistently, small gains add up. Were you always interested in business? Yeah, I'd been investing for almost two decades at that point. When you're making money in pro sports, you get introduced to the wealth management world pretty quickly. I used it as a learning opportunity. I carved out a little side pot – money I could put into direct investments where I could meet the founders, ask questions and really understand the business. One of the first was Marucci Sports, a baseball equipment company. I joined their board in 2010. We sold the company right before COVID. Why go hands-on? I wanted a chance to roll the dice on things that felt interesting or personal. And even then, I wasn't replacing the advisers – I just became more active in a portion of what they were managing. I was the annoying client who came in with a lot of questions. Like, 'What's in this fund? Who runs it? How do they pick companies? What are the fees? What's the holding period?' I wanted to learn. Legendary Blue Jay Jose Bautista chats chicken, Netflix, and dishes on his Dominican hero Can you walk me through your biggest investments since then? Marucci was by far the biggest. Endy, a Canadian mattress company, was probably number two. I also got involved in a few pre-IPO and early-round opportunities. Some of them didn't work out – one was kind of like a WeWork concept that flopped, but we rolled that into something else that's doing okay now. Overall, I've probably done five or six, with about a 50-per-cent success rate, which feels lucky. What makes you say 'yes' to a brand or company now? For me, it has to serve a purpose, because I'm not just chasing returns. Giving back is a big one. Not harming the environment is another. I like companies that are thinking about the future, especially using technology to do things better or more efficiently. But even more than that, I want to work with good people who stick to their values. Because when things get tough – and they always do – you don't want to be involved with someone who's going to start cutting corners. Tell me about Bella Aldea, the Dominican coffee company you're backing. I grew up drinking espresso with my grandma on weekends in the Dominican Republic, so it's definitely personal. Most people don't associate Dominican Republic with coffee, even though we're one of the top-producing countries. So when I met my partners – fifth-generation coffee growers in a small mountain village called Juncalito – I felt like I could help tell that story. How do you handle the challenges of doing business in the DR? Having great partners is essential, and controlling the supply helps. We're vertically integrated – we own the farm, do the processing and roasting, and handle export. That lets us control consistency and quality from the source. Let's talk about the Las Vegas Lights FC. What made you want to own a soccer team? I've always wanted to invest in professional sports. But when you look at leagues like MLB or MLS, the valuations are so high that, even if you do invest, you don't really get a seat at the table. With the United Soccer League, I saw an opportunity to actually be involved. This is a long-term play. But the league has come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years, and with promotion and relegation on the horizon, it's about to become a lot more dynamic. Baseball gives you instant feedback – hits, errors, the scoreboard. Was it strange adjusting to a world where results can take longer to show up? A little, yeah. In baseball, maybe I make an adjustment to my swing, and by my next at-bat, I'll see a change. In business, you might change a strategy and not know if it worked for six months. But it also forces you to be more thoughtful. You look for patterns. You rely on data. You talk to customers, partners, investors, whoever can give you insight. And it teaches you patience, which isn't always easy for someone wired like me. What's the biggest business mistake you've made? Early on, I was afraid to dig deep into financial statements. I'd get these investor updates and just kind of skim the parts I didn't fully understand – I didn't want to look like I didn't know what I was doing. Now? I ask everything. I don't care how dumb it sounds. If I don't get it, I want to figure it out. I'd rather look a little clueless and learn something than pretend and miss something important. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Still investing, for sure. Still giving back. I've already helped 62 kids through college with my foundation. But I have a lot more energy and curiosity to offer. I want to keep building – whether it's businesses, relationships, or maybe something bigger in the sports world. If I can add a few more stories to that list, help a few more people, and still have time to be present for my daughters … I'll be happy with that. This interview has been edited and condensed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store