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'''UL''' ('''Underwriters Laboratories''') is a safety consulting and certification company headquartered in [[Northbrook, Illinois|Northbrook]], [[Illinois]]. It maintains offices in 46 countries. UL was established in 1894 and has participated in the safety analysis of many of the last century's new technologies, most notably the public adoption of electricity and the drafting of safety standards for electrical devices and components.
'''UL''' ('''Underwriters Laboratories''') is a safety consulting and certification company headquartered in [[Northbrook, Illinois|Northbrook]], [[Illinois]]. It maintains offices in 46 countries. UL was established in 1894 and has participated in the safety analysis of many of the last century's new technologies, most notably the public adoption of electricity and the drafting of safety standards for electrical devices and components{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}
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UL provides safety-related certification, validation, testing, inspection, auditing, advising and training services to a wide range of clients, including manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, regulators, service companies, and consumers.
UL provides safety-related certification, validation, testing, inspection, auditing, advising and training services to a wide range of clients, including manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, regulators, service companies, and consumers.

Revision as of 23:05, 21 November 2012

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
AbbreviationUL
Formation1894 (1894)
FounderWilliam Henry Merrill
TypeNationally Recognized Testing Laboratory
HeadquartersNorthbrook, Illinois, US
Region served
104 countries
Keith E. Williams
Staff
9825 (2012)
Websitewww.ul.com

UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is a safety consulting and certification company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It maintains offices in 46 countries. UL was established in 1894 and has participated in the safety analysis of many of the last century's new technologies, most notably the public adoption of electricity and the drafting of safety standards for electrical devices and components[citation needed] .

UL provides safety-related certification, validation, testing, inspection, auditing, advising and training services to a wide range of clients, including manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, regulators, service companies, and consumers.

UL is one of several companies approved to perform safety testing by the US federal agency Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA maintains a list of approved testing laboratories, which are known as Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories.

Business units

UL formed five business units in 2010 to better meet the evolving needs of the marketplace. These units are: Product Safety, Verification Services, Life & Health, Knowledge Services and Environment.

History

UL headquarters in Northbrook

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. was founded in 1894 by William Henry Merrill. Early in his career as an electrical engineer in Boston, a 25 year old Merrill was sent to investigate the World Fair’s Palace of Electricity. Upon seeing a growing potential in his field, Merrill stayed in Chicago to found Underwriters Laboratories.

Merrill soon went to work developing standards, launching tests, designing equipment and uncovering hazards. Aside from his work at UL, Merrill served as the National Fire Protection Association’s secretary-treasurer (1903–1909) and president (1910–1912) and was an active member of the Chicago Board and Union Committee. In 1916, Merrill became UL’s first president.

UL published its first standard, “Tin Clad Fire Doors,” in 1903. The following year, the UL Mark made its debut with the labeling of a fire extinguisher. In 1905, UL established a Label Service for certain product categories that require more frequent inspections. UL inspectors conducted the first factory inspections on labeled products at manufacturers’ facilities—a practice that remains a hallmark of UL’s testing and certification program.

UL has expanded into an organization with 64 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries.[1] It has also evolved from its roots in electrical and fire safety to address broader safety issues, such as hazardous substances, water quality, food safety, performance testing and environmental sustainability.

UL Standards

Melville, New York location

Sustainability Standards

  • UL 106, Standard for Sustainability for Luminaires (under development)
  • UL 110, Standard for Sustainability for Mobile Phones

Standards for Electrical and Electronic Products

  • UL 153, Portable Electric Lamps
  • UL 197, Commercial Electrical Cooking Appliances
  • UL 796, Printed-Wiring Boards
  • UL 1492, Audio/Video Products and Accessories
  • UL 1598, Luminaires
  • UL 1642, Lithium Batteries
  • UL 1995, Heating and Cooling Equipment
  • UL 6500, Audio/Video and Musical Instrument Apparatuses for Household, Commercial and Similar General Uses
  • UL 60065, Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatuses: Safety Requirements
  • UL 60335-1, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 1: General Requirements
  • UL 60335-2-24, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor Compressors
  • UL 60335-2-3, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electric Irons
  • UL 60335-2-34, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor Compressors
  • UL 60335-2-8, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Shavers, Hair Clippers and Similar Appliances
  • UL 60950, Information Technology Equipment
  • UL 60950-1, Information Technology Equipment - Safety, Part 1: General Requirements
  • UL 60950-21, Information Technology Equipment - Safety, Part 21: Remote Power Feeding
  • UL 60950-22, Information Technology Equipment - Safety, Part 22: Equipment to be Installed Outdoors
  • UL 60950-23, Information Technology Equipment - Safety, Part 23: Large Data Storage Equipment

Life Safety Standards

  • UL 217, Single- and Multiple- Station Smoke Alarms
  • UL 268, Smoke Detectors for Fire Protective Signaling Systems
  • UL 1626, Residential Sprinklers for Fire Protection Service
  • UL 1971, Signaling Devices for the Hearing Impaired

Standards for Building Products

  • UL 10A, Tin-Clad Fire Doors
  • UL 1256, Fire Test of Roof/Deck Constructions

Standards for Industrial Control Equipment

  • UL 508, Industrial Control Equipment
  • UL 508A, Industrial Control Panels
  • UL 508C, Power Conversion Equipment

Standards for Plastic Materials

  • UL 94, Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
  • UL 746A, Polymeric Materials: Short-Term Property Evaluations
  • UL 746B, Polymeric Materials: Long-Term Property Evaluations
  • UL 746C, Polymeric Materials: Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations
  • UL 746D, Polymeric Materials: Fabricated Parts
  • UL 746E, Polymeric Materials: Industrial Laminates, Filament Wound Tubing, Vulcanized Fiber and Materials Used in Printed-Wiring Boards
  • UL 746F, Polymeric Materials: -– Flexible Dielectric Film Materials for Use in Printed-Wiring Boards and Flexible Materials Interconnect Constructions

Standards for Wire and Cable

  • UL 62, Flexible Cords and Cables
  • UL 758, Appliance Wiring Materials
  • UL 817, Cord Sets and Power Supply Cords
  • UL 2556, Wire and Cable Test Methods

Standards for Canada developed by ULC Standards, a member of the UL family of companies

  • CAN/ULC-S101-07, Standard Methods for Fire Endurance Tests of Building Construction and Materials
  • CAN/ULC-S102-10, Standard Methods of Test for Surface-Burning Characteristics of Building Materials and Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC-S102.2-10, Standard Methods of Test for Surface-Burning Characteristics of Flooring, Floor Coverings, and Miscellaneous Materials and Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC-S102-10, Standard Method of Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials and Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC-S104-10, Standard Methods for Fire Tests of Door Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC-S107-10, Standard Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings
  • CAN/ULC-S303-M91 (R1999), Standard Methods for Local Burglar Alarm Units and Systems [2]

Similar organizations

  • Baseefa — a similar organization in the UK
  • Canadian Standards Association (CSA) — a similar organization in Canada; also serves as a competitive alternative for USA products
  • ETL SEMKO — a competing testing laboratory, part of Intertek; based in London, UK
  • IAPMO R&T — a competing certification body, based in Ontario, California, USA
  • MET Laboratories, Inc. — a competing testing laboratory based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • NTA Inc — a competing certification agency based in Nappanee, Indiana, USA
  • Sira — a similar organization for the UK/Europe
  • TÜV — a similar German approvals organisation

See also

References

  1. ^ "UL Press Kit" (PDF). Underwriters Laboratories. September 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2010. [dead link]
  2. ^ UL Standards and Outlines of Investigation, Underwriters Laboratories
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