Built to Protect: How Les Équipements JPB and InCord Elevated Safety Standards

In the industrial world, the best solutions often come from collaboration. That’s exactly what happened when Les Équipements JPB, a trusted expert in fall protection with over 25 years of experience, approached InCord, a custom safety netting manufacturer, to help design a solution for one of their clients: a large-scale industrial laundry facility serving numerous hospitals.

Faced with safety concerns involving elevated work areas, JPB’s client needed a customized system that would prevent falling items, maintain visibility and airflow, and integrate cleanly into their fast-paced operations. Partnering with JPB, we developed a netting system that protects employees, enhances workflow, and is easy to maintain—setting a new standard for safety in industrial laundry operations.

About Les Équipements JPB

Based in Montreal, Les Équipements JPB has spent the past 25+ years providing high-quality fall prevention and safety systems for industrial clients across multiple sectors. With a sharp focus on protecting workers at height, JPB is known for its hands-on, solution-oriented approach. Their philosophy is simple but essential: worker safety is the top priority.

JPB works closely with clients to understand their environment, assess risks, and implement systems that meet regulatory requirements and improve efficiency. When one of their clients—a hospital laundry facility with a demanding, high-volume operation—faced fall protection challenges, they turned to InCord for collaboration.

“At JPB, we do not deliver one-size-fits-all solutions. We tailor every system to our client’s needs and seek fabrication partners with the same mindset. Worker safety is our top priority,” says President Jean-Pierre Blanchet.

Understanding the Facility’s Challenge

JPB’s client operates a large commercial laundry facility that services hospitals and healthcare centers, processing thousands of pounds of linens daily. These operations involve elevated catwalks, mezzanines, and sorting platforms, all of which are part of the fast-moving workflow required to keep pace with hospital demands.

The client identified risk areas such as overhead mezzanines and elevated work platforms where laundry bins and carts are routinely maneuvered. Smaller items such as tools, garments, or stray laundry could accidentally fall through the guardrails or gaps, posing a risk of injury to workers and damaging equipment below.

“We knew they needed a safety solution but couldn’t afford to compromise airflow or slow down our operations. We had to find the right solution,” explained Jean-Pierre Blanchet.

Working closely with the team at JPB, InCord joined the conversation to co-engineer a system that would address all of the client’s requirements—safety, airflow, visibility, and serviceability—without disrupting daily operations.

Co-Engineering the Netting System

JPB brought to the table years of insight into fall protection standards and onsite installation logistics. InCord’s role was to fabricate a solution to deliver performance, modularity, and a seamless retrofit.

We developed a custom netting system to protect work zones below elevated platforms while remaining lightweight, transparent, and easy to maintain.

Key features include:

• Custom Net Panels
  Constructed from durable industrial mesh netting, these panels form a protective barrier to catch falling items while allowing full airflow and line-of-sight visibility. The design allows quick access when needed and minimizes interference with daily operations.
• Spill Protection with Spillex Liner
  Near the sorting area—where garments and linens are separated—we integrated InCord’s Spillex Liner backing to the netting. This special liner provides an added layer of protection from accidental spills.

  We used a clear-coated Spillex layer, ensuring that lighting and visibility were not compromised. The transparency preserved full luminosity for workers below—a critical requirement for personal safety and productivity in this zone.

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  Retractable Access Panel for Forklift Loading
  One key challenge was providing forklift access to the mezzanine for raising pallets of materials. Leveraging its deep engineering experience, InCord custom-designed a retractable net panel that can be safely opened and closed as needed—without compromising the integrity of the surrounding safety system. This modular feature delivers essential operational flexibility while maintaining consistent protection. InCord’s expertise was instrumental in developing this solution, ensuring it met the client’s need for both efficiency and safety in a high-demand environment.

• Modular Design
  Each panel was engineered to be fully independent and easily removable, allowing for quick replacement of damaged or worn sections without disrupting the entire system. This modularity significantly reduces downtime and maintenance costs.
• Retrofitting Without Rebuilding
  We custom-fabricated systems to fit within the facility’s existing mezzanine and catwalk infrastructure. The system was designed to install cleanly without major structural modifications.
• Easy Maintenance and Cleaning
  Materials were selected for their durability, chemical resistance, and low maintenance—essential in a laundry facility where sanitation is critical.

Prioritizing Safety Without Sacrificing Workflow

This project was not just about installing a barrier—it was about enhancing workplace safety without disrupting operations. The netting system was engineered to provide robust catch protection and liquid spill resistance while allowing workers to move freely and safely.

Employees working on the mezzanine can now operate with confidence, knowing that any loose item or unexpected spill will be safely contained by the new netting and liner system.