About Our Company

Hidden Q Animation

Have you ever noticed that a properly secured wheelchair forms a perfect ‘Q’ ?

There’s a good reason for that. Because the ‘Q’ is wheelchair securement.
And Q’STRAINT is the company that started it all.

The first time a Q’STRAINT system was used to secure a wheelchair user in a vehicle was the very first time that user met the same standards as other passengers.

Until that point, no one thought beyond simply strapping down the chair, treating riders like cargo. No one thought about the safety of wheelchair passengers. No one thought about saving lives. That is, not until groundbreaking wheelchair safety technology was developed by Q’STRAINT. Today that technology is used every day the world over and has become the gold standard in wheelchair securement.

But technology alone is never enough. Our mission of Making Safety Accessible drives us to continually improve. And our promise of Thinking Beyond Safety is how we make that happen.

Q’STRAINT continues to be at the forefront of defining and establishing securement regulations worldwide; and to work with global standards groups to ensure that safety becomes accessible for wheelchair passengers in every country — guaranteeing the highest levels of safety for all.

Our mission

Making Safety Accessible®

We believe all mobility passengers deserve access to the same level of safety as those around them. Through research and development, engineering and support, to providing innovative solutions, we are Making Safety Accessible.

Our promise

Thinking Beyond Safety

This promise is how we live our mission and extends into our areas of operation and influence. As the most trusted provider of mobility passenger safety solutions worldwide, Thinking Beyond Safety also means we are:

Thinking Beyond Quality:

This is not our pinnacle, it is our foundation.

Thinking Beyond Testing:

Continuous testing. Never accepting we have done enough.

Thinking Beyond Standards:

From simply meeting, to leading and setting new ones.

Thinking Beyond Training:

Commission the right tools into the right hands.

Thinking Beyond Products:

Ahead of Heavy Duty products, comes the Highest Duty Solutions.

Our Core Values

CHARACTER

Do the right thing.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

Always act & make decisions in the Customers’ best interests.

UNITY

Work as ONE Team, with ONE Purpose, in ONE Direction.

EXCELLENCE

Always give your best: your words, actions & work reflect your personal level of quality.

Our Core Values

CHARACTER

Do the right thing.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

Always act & make decisions in the Customers’ best interests.

UNITY

Work as ONE Team, with ONE Purpose, in ONE Direction.

EXCELLENCE

Always give your best: your words, actions & work reflect your personal level of quality.

Our history

Q’STRAINT BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION:
How can wheelchair passengers be safely secured in vehicles?

In the 1970s, a team of students and specialists at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada set out to find the answer.

Their research demonstrated that wheelchair passengers have unique safety needs requiring unique safety solutions, which, at the time, did not exist. So the research team developed the world’s first fully integrated 4-point wheelchair passenger securement system. Q’STRAINT was the first to introduce this innovative system to the global transportation industry.

Today, Q’STRAINT continues to build on this tradition of innovation, advancing its mission of providing safe accessibility to everyone by developing the world’s highest quality, wheelchair passenger safety solutions.

Company milestones

1984

Q’STRAINT is established when Queen’s University licenses its integrated 4-point wheelchair passenger securement system and Q’Straint introduces the system to the marketplace. Q’STRAINT’s first office opens in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

1985

Q’STRAINT is the first securement company to apply the “sled test” for testing automotive safety belts used in wheelchair passenger securement systems.

1987

Q’STRAINT’s global reach expands with the establishment of a local distributor in Queensland, Australia.

1991

Q’STRAINT is asked by the NHTSA to contribute its expertise to the development of wheelchair transportation regulations in the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

1993

Q’STRAINT opens an office in Whitstable, United Kingdom to meet growing international demand throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

1996

Q’STRAINT becomes the first and only wheelchair securement company to earn ISO 9000 registration.

1997

Q’STRAINT relocates its North American headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, serving North and South America. A sales and distribution center remains in Cambridge, Ontario, providing local service to the Canadian market.

1999

Q’STRAINT develops and introduces the world’s first self-tensioning, self-locking wheelchair passenger securement system.

2004

Q’STRAINT products are used in para-transit vehicles at the Athens Paralympic Games.

2005

Q’STRAINT UK earns the “Investor in People” designation in recognition of its commitment to training and personnel development.

2007

Q’STRAINT UK earns the prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade, recognized for its significant growth in exports to over 40 countries.

2008

Q’STRAINT products are used in para-transit vehicles at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

2009

Q’STRAINT celebrates 25 years in business.

2012

Q’STRAINT launches the QLK-150 docking station, the first docking station to pass the crash test specifications per WC18/19 standards.

2014

Q’STRAINT celebrates 30 years of on-going commitment to the wheelchair securement industry by launching the iQ Research Centre of Excellence facility to further advance technological innovation in wheelchair passenger safety solutions.

2015

Q’STRAINT completely turns around the industry (literally), by introducing the QUANTUM, the transportation’s first fully automatic rear-facing securement station.

Testimonials

COMPANIES & TRANSIT AGENCIES

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ATTENDANTS & OPERATORS

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MOBILITY PASSENGERS

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OPERATOR TRAINING