The Honeywell UVEX Avatar PLUS family of safety eyewear features a contoured shape to help keep dust away from workers’ faces.

As summer approaches, so do the dangers of working outside during hot weather. Knowing how to work safely in hot weather can help prevent heat stress injuries and heat stroke, the most serious heat-related disorder, according to NIOSH.

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries recently released tips for safely working outdoors in hot weather.

Longer hours and increasing climate levels are transforming work zones into dangerous heat zones. Ignoring early warning signs such as heat discomfort, sweating or thirst can lead to heat-related illness, including heat stroke and death.

Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are the two most dangerous heat-related illnesses, according to OSHA.

Every year around this time I see a meme go around social media about the weather. Unless you live somewhere that is perpetually warm, you have likely seen it.

Recently I had the pleasure of returning in person to one of my favorite conferences, PSA TEC. Consisting of owners and members of the largest integrator consortium in the world, it is a great place to really hear what is on the minds of systems integrators.

The security industry recognizes those who go above and beyond to help prevent and mitigate tragedies like the recent Highland Park shooting.  

Diversity is the key to solving the security talent crisis. 

The 2022 SDM Systems Integrator of the Year shows how to do acquisitions successfully 

The flip side of the cybersecurity problem is the opportunity to offer cyber-related services.  

Custom Alarm, based in Rochester, Minn., is on a winning streak. 

Security dealers and integrators look back at 2022 and forward to expectations for 2023

The video surveillance market grew significantly from 2020 to 2021

The security industry has had to be resilient to withstand the supply chain crisis.

The winner of the SDM Project of the Year award highlights a larger trend in converting office space to residential.

Have you ever been to one of those corn mazes that pop up every October?

Pivoting in the face of adversity can lead to new business success.

Summer may be winding down and security is not always known for its lighter side, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun of our own that doesn’t rely on the weather at all.

School security is a growing problem with no easy answers. But security integrators need to be trusted advisors to help their education customers navigate this extremely complex issue.

The Pref-Tech Way isn’t for everyone, but it provides some food for thought on how sometimes bucking the trends can lead the way to success.

More than ever, the physical and cyber are tied together, both on a business level and on the world stage.

One of the things that really intrigued me about Peak Alarm when I first read their application for SDM Dealer of the Year was the sheer number of initiatives the company took on all at once — most of them in the middle of a pandemic.

IT’S JANUARY. Happy New Year! I hope you have an ordinary year.

Security Industry Trends

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a key initiative that can help the security industry with its talent shortage.

This year’s winner of SDM’s Project of the Year Award is Minuteman Security

I don't know about anyone else, but it seems to me the world is moving faster than ever before — especially when it comes to technology.

We have only just begun to see the impact that AI and Generative AI will have on the security industry.

The “dog days” of summer. Did you know — I didn’t until I looked it up — that the term dog days refers to astrology, specifically the time period during which a bright star rises and sets with the sun?

It was just a few years ago when I first heard the word “proptech,” and for a while it looked like it would become a common buzzword in the industry.

Boston – Employees may be more likely to participate in workplace wellness programs if employers offer financial incentives, according to a new study from Harvard Medical School’s Department of Population Medicine.

Philadelphia – Financial incentives are ineffective at encouraging obese workers to lose weight, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia – Financial penalties are more effective at helping workers reach physical activity goals than monetary rewards in a wellness program, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania.

In a memo sent Oct. 11 to regional administrators and state designees, the agency outlines examples of acceptable drug testing, and states that incentive programs that withhold prizes because of an injury are compliant “as long as the employer has implemented precautions to ensure that employees feel free to report an injury or illness.”

When done correctly, incentive programs can boost workplace safety, experts say.

In Episode 18, the S+H editorial team discusses the pros and cons of safety incentives, along with OSHA’s evolving stance on the topic. Also: Transportation safety expert Brian Hammer answers our questions about road safety, as more workers begin to commute to their workplace again.

Advances like digitization, IoT, AI and mobile devices put mass notification directly into users’ hands, speeding up response times in emergency situations.

Led by a majority investment from Abry Partners, the new platform combines Assurant Fire Protection, Complete Fire Pump Service and Xtreme Fire Protection. 

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) will also serve in an advisory service capacity for five additional grants with multiple federal agencies, including NASA.

When it comes to gunshot detection, no two technologies are alike. What most have in common, however, is their effortless fit within a security integrator’s life-safety product portfolio and business model.

Kidde Commercial will unveil its new branding and holistic commercial fire solution capabilities during ISC West, taking place in Las Vegas, March 28-31.

The convergence of technology and an aging population seems to make personal emergency response systems (PERS) a perfect fit for integrators to grow RMR. But use cases go far beyond the elderly.

The fire and life safety industry is heating up with increasing opportunities for fire alarm contractors to advance into new territory.

The group of partnering manufacturers and central stations include NAPCO, Resideo, Telguard, Emergency24 and Rapid Response Monitoring.

The Foundation Series is a complete, off-the-shelf fire detection solution featuring addressable and non-addressable models, and a full range of Autocall devices.

We examine the impact of emerging technologies, the resilience of these systems, and the crucial partnership between manufacturers, security integrators and monitoring stations in ensuring public safety during critical events.

The Electronic Security Association (ESA) presented a virtual town hall recently during which Michael Barnes presented an alarm industry update that, for the most part, signaled a rising tide, post pandemic.

SDM spoke with industry experts about gunshot and gun detection solutions and the opportunities those solutions offer to security dealers and integrators.

Fire alarm industry experts weigh in on the latest in fire alarm control panel tech, selection, maintenance and installation — and code updates affecting all of the above.