PETALUMA, CA--Panamax/Furman announced the availability of the report "Safety Certification for Power Management Products" for free download at the Panamax and Furman Web sites. Researched and written by Panamax engineering manager Jerry Hoopes, the report is intended to provide dealers with a tool to differentiate their product offering, and to give consumers and builders information on safety certification and safety standards.
When it comes to safety certification for power management products, there are several misconceptions. Chiefly among these is that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is part of the U.S. government and that a product is not truly certified without the UL mark. While UL has been in operation for a long time, and certainly carries a great deal of name recognition, it is one of many OSHA-certified nationally recognized testing laboratories (NRTL) that can certify a product. In addition to product testing and certification, UL does draft the safety standards for the U.S., which are then used by all NRTLs, but it is not a part of the U.S. government.
"Safety certification is an important qualification for any power management solution, and the presence of an NRTL mark should be a determining factor when choosing a product," said Dave Keller, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Panamax and Furman. "But it is important to note that this mark does not have to be from UL. There are many certified laboratories out there, and they all use the same safety standards. Our goal with this report is to provide dealers and consumers with information on the certification process and safety standards for power management products, allowing them to make more informed decisions, whether it is suggesting a product to a customer or purchasing one for themselves."
Jerry Hoopes has been with Panamax since 1992 and has held the role of engineering manager since 1998. He has also been a voting member of the UL 1449 Standards Technical Panel (STP) since 2003. The STP is a group of industry representatives that drafts the content of the UL 1449 standard.
To view the full report, please visit www.panamax.com/safety or www.furmansound.com/safety.
Furman...www.furmansound.com
Panamax...www.panamax.com
