The 5 things keeping safety equipment buyers up at night in 2025

Key challenges safety buyers are facing right now and tips on how to work around these common roadblocks.

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Manufacturers need reliable, accessible safety equipment that keeps their employees safe, healthy and out of harm’s way as they go about their daily work. They also need a continuous source of safety supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) like safety glasses and hearing protection, first aid kits and eyewash stations, and respirators and masks.

Selecting, procuring, and implementing these supplies and other safety items can be challenging, particularly in the unpredictable manufacturing environment. When equipment and supplies are easily accessible for workers, it helps minimize production downtime and avoid potential health issues. Safety buyers play an important role in this setting, where balancing cost-effectiveness with high safety standards is paramount.

Achieving this delicate balance isn’t always easy. Unlike some product categories, safety requires specialized knowledge and expertise to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Purchasing PPE and safety equipment can also depend on the following factors:

Specific industry and workplace setting
Potential hazards present in the work environment
Industry-specific safety regulations and job-related requirements
Environmental conditions employees may face

The human factor also comes into play in safety equipment procurement. For example, if a specified respirator is uncomfortable and hard to put on, employees may opt to go without it and potentially expose themselves to harmful dust, fumes, or hazardous chemicals. This single inaction can then create even bigger problems on the manufacturing or industrial floor.

Top 5 safety procurement challenges

Here are five complications that safety equipment and supply buyers are dealing with right now and tips on how to work around these common roadblocks.

1. Growing regulatory complexity
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other groups closely monitor safety-related workplace issues and are continually updating their standards. Safety buyers need to stay up to date on the rules impacting their specific workplace setting and ensure that they equip employees with the appropriate products for each application. To help companies stay compliant with safety regulations and standards, HAQM Business offers a predictable delivery experience, a range of delivery options (including same-day service), and tools that help manufacturers stay compliant while also saving money.

2. Budgetary constraints
Right now, safety buyers are being asked “do more with less” while also maintaining high safety standards. HAQM Business helps them tackle this challenge by providing competitive pricing, bulk discounts, and spend analysis tools that help buyers optimize their budgets without compromising safety. Safety procurement teams can make more informed purchasing decisions, balance cost-effectiveness with compliance, and stretch their budgets.

3. Fragmented supply chains

The safety equipment and PPE market is highly fragmented and populated by many different suppliers and distributors. This creates challenges for safety buyers who have to manage multiple different contracts and supplier relationships. HAQM Business offers a suite of solutions that gives buyers a simple, streamlined safety procurement process and consolidates purchases from a vast network of vetted suppliers.

“For a lot of the materials we buy, the most important factors are getting them quickly, and for the best price,” said Ellen Nielsen, general manager of category management at Chevron. “We don’t want to handle thousands of suppliers and go through a bid process with each one, negotiating prices — that’s not a commercially viable approach. We’ve moved purchases to HAQM Business to consolidate spending in a dynamic store environment, where everyone can find what they need, and still take advantage of large-scale ordering and bulk buying.”

4. Poor data visibility

A lack of real-time data on usage, inventory levels and spend can hinder procurement planning and optimization. Safety, procurement, operations, and other departments often work in isolation, which can create visibility gaps and hinder effective collaboration. With its streamlined procurement approach, HAQM Business gives buyers real-time usage, inventory levels, and spend data they need — right at their fingertips, to support better procurement planning and optimization.

"HAQM Business has been a hit with our stakeholders,” said Phil Schaid, category management, production chemicals, MRO and indirect materials, PET marketing and supply, BHP. “Through our integration with SAP Ariba and HAQM, we have provided our users with the HAQM shopping experience they are familiar with in their personal lives, simplifying the corporate purchasing process. While at the same time, we are able to maintain our standard purchasing process and controls, with full visibility within SAP.

5. Ongoing supply chain disruption

Having access to essential PPE and safety equipment is mandatory for manufacturers, but supply chain disruptions can create critical shortages, jeopardize worker safety, and cause production delays. To help safety buyers address this issue, HAQM Business offers a vast network of vetted, reliable sellers and certified products. In certain U.S. cities and geographies, it also offers HAQM Business Restock, a managed inventory and vending option that can save companies a significant amount of time, money, and headcount.

Overcoming these and other safety procurement challenges requires a strategic, data-driven approach to safety equipment procurement, cross-functional collaboration, and an understanding of the "human factor" in safety. Developing simple, streamlined processes is an ongoing challenge, but it's also critical for maximizing worker protection, operational efficiency, and profitability in today's market.

Originally published on Industry Week