Ms. Christine Gillies reports

BLACKLINE SAFETY UNVEILS WHITEPAPER ON NAVIGATING RADIATION RISKS FOR FIRE-HAZMAT, SAFETY WORKERS

Blackline Safety Corp. has released a new white paper entitled "Navigating Radiation Risks: Key Concepts for Protecting Workers and Responders" in an effort to mitigate radiation exposure for fire-hazmat and first responder teams.

Designed as a strategic playbook, the white paper aims to help teams assess and react to the rising threat of radiation exposure to better protect workers, the public and the environment.

"For those on the front line, such as first responders, hazmat teams, and workers in industrial fields like mining and oil and gas, there's an increased risk of accidental exposure to dangerous levels of radiation," said Christine Gillies, chief product and marketing officer at Blackline Safety. "Quick thinking and robust emergency protocols are essential to ensure worker and community safety."

"This white paper responds to a growing industry need to educate workers on the different types of radiation, early detection strategies and approaches to address the broad spectrum of radiation risks, faster and smarter," she said.

Key insights from the white paper:

• Radiation can be divided into four main categories -- alpha, beta, neutrons and electromagnetic waves (or gamma rays) -- and identified as non-ionizing or ionizing (nuclear) radiation and particle or waveform. It is important to understand the differences to best respond to risks.
• There are two general categories where nuclear radiation can be found: naturally occurring radioactive material (to which people are exposed simply by breathing the air around them or ingesting food and water) and artificial sources (including medical imaging such as X-rays and CT (computed tomography) scans, nuclear energy and weapons, and dirty bombs), and each has varying effects on the body.
• Radiation is measured differently in the United States than internationally for the three forms of radiation measurement: radioactivity, absorbed dose and effective dose. The U.S. measures radiation in millirems per year while most other countries measure radiation in millisieverts per year. Being familiar with the different measurements enables workers to gauge overall health effects.
• Gamma radiation cannot be detected through sight or taste. Technology is needed to help determine its presence and develop policies and procedures to deal with how gamma radiation levels are monitored and what steps need to be taken in case of a radiation emergency. There are several types of gamma radiation technologies currently available, each with different uses, advantages and disadvantages.
• While human bodies can take in nominal levels of naturally occurring gamma radiation from the surrounding environment, people are not equipped to handle increased exposure levels without incurring severe, lifelong damage to their health. For those areas where gamma radiation presents risks, radiation safety plans are critical to ensure the three pillars of radiation protection -- time, distance and shielding. The use of technology plays a key role in worker and community safety and area monitoring -- such as Blackline Safety's newly released EXO 8 Gamma, the only direct-to-cloud area monitor capable of detecting up to eight gases and gamma radiation -- has been proven effective as one of the first lines of defence.

About Blackline Safety Corp.

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 coverage in more than 100 countries. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, Blackline provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 250 billion data points and initiated over eight million emergency alerts.