PK Safety has been a family-owned supplier of safety equipment since 1947, when Eric L. Pedley and ship captain Josiah Knowles founded Pedley-Knowles and Company in San Francisco as a ship chandlery.
Since then, the business has evolved from commercial ship supplies to safety nets, to OSHA-compliant worker safety gear, gas detection services, and a nationwide selection of PPE and industrial safety equipment.
Today, PK Safety serves workers and safety professionals across industries including oil and gas, confined spaces, wastewater, construction, tree care, and food processing. The company remains family-owned and continues to put product expertise and human support at the center of how it serves customers.
Here's how a San Francisco shipping supply business became PK Safety, and why decades of experience still matter to the people who depend on their safety equipment.
1947: A Ship Chandlery Is Born
Eric L. Pedley and ship captain Josiah Knowles founded Pedley-Knowles and Company in San Francisco, one of more than a dozen ship chandlery businesses operating in the Bay Area at the time. Chandleries supplied ships with the gear and provisions they needed to operate, and it was here that PK Safety's roots in equipping working people for hazardous conditions first took hold.
The 1950s: Pedley Nets, Formalized
Eric L. Pedley was a tinkerer at heart, and developed a patented method of manufacturing nets specific to people catching. This work eventually became its own business. In the mid-1950s, Eric and his nephew Phillip Pedley formed Pedley Nets in Glen Ellen, California, using the patented manufacturing process that made their nets the standard in the field. Those nets were leased out for high-rise construction, bridge work, and even playgrounds and theme parks — some are still doing their job today.
The Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California. The safety nets seen extending the length of the bridge are Pedley Nets.
Golden Gate Bridge: Nets That Saved Lives
When Joseph Strauss served as chief engineer on the Golden Gate Bridge, safety nets were installed beneath the deck to protect construction crews working high above the water. During construction in 1936 and 1937, the nets caught 19 workers who fell from the bridge.
These men later formed the Half Way to Hell Club, named for the split-second drop from the deck into the net below.
While Pedley Nets did not provide the original nets for the Golden Gate Bridge, they did supply the replacement nets, connecting the Pedley family directly to one of the most famous chapters in the history of construction and worker safety.
Eric L. Pedley eventually became a member of the Half Way to Hell Club and served on its Executive Committee.
Half Way to Hell Club letterhead from 1963 lists Eric L. Pedley of Pedley-Knowles & Co. as a member of the Executive Committee.
1960s–1970s: From Shipping to Safety
Eric A. Pedley (Eric L.'s son) and Mel Freeman joined the company in 1960, bringing expertise in ship mechanics and connections in the Philippine shipping industry that opened new markets for the business.
But the ship chandlery world was fading, and by the early 1970s the company shifted its focus to safety equipment as workplace safety became a growing priority across American industry.
Eric S. "Rick" Pedley, PK Safety's current President and CEO, joined the family business in 1979. His grandfather Eric L. Pedley retired in 1982, and the company's original safety net-making venture continued on as a separate business, one that still supplies nets to this day.
1996–2015: Becoming PK Safety
In 1996, Rick Pedley took over the company, shortened its name to PK Safety, and relocated from San Francisco to Oakland (and later to Alameda, in 2001). In 2002, the company launched its first online store on the Yahoo platform. This step transitioned the company from a regional Bay Area seller to a nationwide audience.
Growth continued steadily from there. PK Safety earned certification to service gas monitors in 2014, and in 2015 the company moved away from housing its own inventory in favor of a third-party logistics network with warehouses in Fresno, St. Louis, and Carlisle, helping PK Safety scale fulfillment and serve customers beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.
Today: Still Family-Owned, Still Picking Up the Phone
Generations since that first chandlery opened its doors, PK Safety serves crews across a myriad of industries with a catalog that spans gas detection, fall protection, respiratory protection, PPE, and workwear. PK Safety is a Factory Authorized Service Center for BW Honeywell, RKI Instruments, WatchGas, and RAE Systems gas detection. Our in-house factory-trained technicians provide calibration and repair services.
What hasn't changed is how PK Safety operates. Call in, and a real U.S.-based safety expert who knows the equipment answers, not a phone tree, not a script. That's the same commitment to service that carried the company from ship chandlery to net manufacturer to a nationwide safety equipment supplier, and it's still run by the family that started it.
We're grateful to the customers, crews, and safety professionals who've trusted us for generations, and we're looking forward to continuing to keep them safe for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has PK Safety been in business?
PK Safety was founded in 1947, making 2026 its 79th year in business.
Who founded PK Safety?
PK Safety was founded by Eric L. Pedley and ship captain Josiah Knowles as Pedley-Knowles and Company, a San Francisco ship chandlery.
Who owns PK Safety today?
Eric S. "Rick" Pedley, grandson of founder Eric L. Pedley, is PK Safety's current President and CEO. He took over the company in 1996 and shortened its name from Pedley-Knowles and Company to PK Safety. The company remains family-owned.
What does PK Safety sell today?
PK Safety supplies gas detection equipment, fall protection, respirators, PPE, and workwear to industries like construction, oil and gas, mining, fire services, and food processing.
Talk to a Safety Expert: 800.829.9580, or shop PK Safety's catalog to see what generations of experience look like on the job site.