KANSAS CITY, Mo. — AES Raptor LLC of North Kansas City, Mo., and Premier Rail Systems Inc. of Kansas City, Kan., have announced the merging of their two companies to create Leading Edge Safety LLC.

According to the The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), falls are the leading cause of fatal injury in the construction industry. In fact, half of all work-related fatal falls in the United States occur in the construction industry. NIOSH’s specific prevention recommendations have included site-specific evaluation of potential fall hazards; implementation of fall protection programs; proper erection, maintenance and use of access equipment; installation and maintenance of appropriate barriers (e.g., guard rails, such as the RaptorRail and/or covers, such as the Skynet, on floor openings); along with proper selection and use of fall restraint/fall arrest systems in situations where exposure to falls cannot be eliminated.

Creating Leading Edge Safety offers solutions for all fall protections needs. The company has expanded its lineup to include everything from its mobile fall protection anchor points (e.g. TriRex, Stinger and R2000 mobile fall protection carts) to temporary and permanent perimeter railing systems. The new company can now offer a one-stop solution to the products that allow for a safe and productive worksite.

Leading Edge Safety is led by Brent Smith formerly of AES Raptor and Mike Budenbender formerly of Premier Rail Systems Inc. Sales will be managed by Jeremy Martin and Matt Small, while operations will be managed by Travis Budenbender. Leading Edge specializes in fall protection systems for commercial and industrial applications and is based out of North Kansas City. All Leading Edge Safety products are manufactured in the United States.

 For more information, email jeremy.m@leadingedgesafety.net or matt.s@leadingedgesafety.net.