Shannon’s new safety throw blanket

Nov 17, 2020 | Shannon Blog

Recently, Shannon introduced the latest version of its safety throw blanket to help workers literally add a layer of protection to wherever their work takes them.

Ensuring a safe working environment requires tools, education, planning and an approach that’s cost-effective. Fifty years ago next month, President Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), creating OSHA. OSHA’s efforts have saved thousands of lives and prevented millions of injuries. For 30 years, Shannon has created products that protect people and profits. Over the decades, we’ve seen how safety has increasingly played a larger role in the products companies choose. For instance, if a manufacturer’s products help, say, an EHS manager or plant owner improve workplace safety, then the products, or even an entire project, often get approved as part of a buyer’s budget.

“The money for products and projects does not come from a facility budget per se because the job of the safety manager is to maintain a safe working environment,” says Mike Makofsky, Northeast Regional Manager of Shannon Global Energy Solutions.

“If someone is injured, then it becomes a recordable incident causing a company to lose dollars. A worker may have to go onto the workers’ comp program, and the company’s rates may climb, so following safety practices are important for saving money.”

For Shannon, protecting its customers’ workers requires coming up with new designs and concepts to meet conditions in the field. Shannon’s safety throw blanket is 2 feet by 4 feet and weighs less than 10 pounds. The blankets are easy for workers to cart to different locations, making them a portable safety solution.

“Whether you’re a steamfitter, an electrician or a plumber in a hot, dirty, dangerous or wet environment,” says Makofsky, “you can have this very resistant, army tank-like safety blanket.”

According to Makofsky, the creation of the newest safety throw blanket stems from the testing and materials developed for Shannon’s other rugged products. Shannon’s designers expect the new throw blankets to become popular because they’re an affordable item that workers can easily carry with whatever tools they already tote. Workers can grab the throw blanket like they would a pair of gloves to prevent burns to their arms, legs or body.

“We know based on empirical data that our safety blankets will last for years,” says Makofsky.