Quest & Metrosonics® Heat Stress Monitors First To Receive ATEX Intrinsic Safety Approval
Monitors protect industrial & service industry workers and first responders to bioterrorism
Oconomowoc, WI, April 21, 2004: Quest Technologies Inc, an employee-owned world leader in the development and manufacture of monitoring instrumentation and software for occupational and environmental health & safety (OEHS) applications, today announced that it's QUESTemp° Series and Metrosonics model HS-32 Portable Heat Stress Monitors have been independently tested and certified by KEMA Quality B.V. of The Netherlands to meet the requirements of ATEX Directive 94/9/EC. The QUESTemp° Series and HS-32 monitors are used to evaluate indoor and outdoor environmental conditions for the potential to cause heat stress or heat-related injuries or illnesses. In addition to industrial & service industry workers, first responders to bioterrorism are very susceptible to heat stress as a result of the chemical protective clothing they must wear. Quest is the first and only company to achieve certification of heat stress monitors, sometimes referred to as WBGT meters, to the new ATEX requirements. The ATEX approvals are in addition to existing ETL approvals for intrinsic safety. The ATEX directive has been adopted by the European Union (EU) to facilitate free trade in the EU by aligning the technical and legal requirements in the Member States for products intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The Directive covers electrical and mechanical equipment and protective systems, which may be used in potentially explosive atmospheres (flammable gases, vapors or dusts.) Since July 1, 2003, it has been necessary for all products placed on the market or put into use within the EU to comply with the ATEX Directive.
"This is the second time in less than a year that we have been first to market with products meeting the new ATEX Directive," said Dan Webster, CEO & President of Quest Technologies. Late last year we were also first to obtain certification of personal noise dosimeters to this Directive and they remain the only such products with this approval. Quest has always made it a priority that our products meet applicable international standards for performance and safety. It seems contradictory to us for users to spend dollars on products for worker safety that are not themselves confirmed inherently safe. So wherever possible, we make sure our customers have access to certified safe products."
The QUESTemp° Series and HS-32 monitor will be on display at numerous trade shows this year around the world. Consult the www.Quest-Technologies.com web site and click on "Events" for the latest listing. For more information, call 1-800-245-0779, 262-567-9157 or email sales@Quest-Technologies.com.
About Quest Technologies
Founded in 1946, Quest Technologies Incorporated is one of the most widely recognized and respected names worldwide for safety & industrial hygiene instrumentation and software. We are a multi-brand, employee-owned company marketing our products through select independent distributors in over 50 countries worldwide. Our expertise is instrumentation and software and supporting calibration, rental and educational seminar services associated with monitoring and evaluation of occupational and environmental health & safety hazards. Our customers use our products in applications that currently include noise, vibration, heat stress, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and toxic/combustible gases. Our Quest and Metrosonics brands are used extensively in military, mining, research, enforcement, insurance, consulting, educational, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and sports medicine markets. The Metrosonics brand offers a broad array of "Simple Solutions At Affordable Prices", while our Quest brand offers "The System Solution" to all your monitoring and data analysis requirements. For more information about Quest and Metrosonics, please visit www.Quest-Technologies.com and www.Metrosonics.com.