All About Instruments
Monitoring methods
What types of monitoring instruments are currently used at your facility?
Noise monitors 76%
Confined space monitors & detectors 68%
Personal gas/vapor monitors & detectors 63%
Dust & particulate monitors 44%
Stationary gas & vapor monitors 37%
Indoor air quality monitors 31%
Radiation monitors 30%
Asbestos sampling 21%
Other 10%
Monitoring motives
Why does your facility use monitoring instruments?
Regulatory compliance 85%
Company policy 63%
Improve employee relations 51%
Control workers¿ compensation costs 38%
Improve productivity 29%
Recommendation of consultant/insurance co. 13%
Improve product quality 11%
Improve your company¿s competitiveness 8%
Other 18%
Learning experiences
How do you typically find out about new or existing monitoring instruments?
Trade magazines 78%
Manufacturer¿s or distributor¿s sales rep 46%
Direct mail from manufacturer 42%
Trade shows 42%
Buyer¿s guides/annual product directories 40%
Consultants/insurance companies 30%
Internet 27%
Other 4%
What actions have you taken in the past 12 months to learn more about specific brands or manufacturers of instruments?
Returned a magazine¿s reader action card 63%
Requested product literature 63%
Called your local distributor 38%
Reviewed on-hand reference material 34%
Called an ¿800¿ telephone number 31%
Visited a vendor¿s Web site 28%
Other 8%
Purchasing sources
From whom do you typically purchase monitoring instruments?
Specialized safety distributors 69%
General industrial supply distributors 58%
Catalog/mail order 36%
Internet Web sites 5%
Retail stores 3%
Other 1%
Selection factors
What factors are very important when selecting a brand of monitoring instruments?
Ease of use 73%
Durability 71%
Vendor¿s knowledge of product 66%
Technical repairs provided by vendor 64%
Customer service responsiveness 60%
Product training provided by vendor 49%
Design 40%
Price 32%
Immediate availability 25%
Comfort 22%
Made in USA 14%
Survey demographics
How many people are employed at your location? Less than 100 employees 30% 101-500 employees 29% More than 1,000 employees 22% 501-1,000 employees 19% In which industry sector are you employed?
Heavy manufacturing 29%
Light manufacturing 23%
Services 15%
Chemical 14%
Government 8%
Utilities 7%
Food 5%
Construction 4%
Other 3%
Buying plans
Is your facility considering the purchase of monitoring instruments in the next 12 months?
Yes 55%
No 45%
Compare your facility¿s spending plans for monitoring instruments in 1999 to 1998:
Stay about the same 68%
Increase 20%
Decrease 12%
By what percentage will spending increase?
6-10% 52%
16-20% 21%
More than 20% 11%
11-15% 11%
1-5% 5%
Approximately how much does your facility plan to spend on monitoring instruments in 1999?
$1,001 - $5,000 33%
$5,001 - $10,000 20%
$1 - $1,000 13%
$10,001 - $20,000 10%
More than $20,000 9%
None 15%
Editor¿s Note: ISHN¿s Monitoring Instrument Editorial Study was conducted in March 1999. Survey was mailed to 1,000 randomly selected ISHN subscribers. Total respondents: 106. Response rate: 11%.
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