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Underwriters Laboratories Approved
By Wil Dawkins
Cleaning and maintenance managers face a growing mountain of safety concerns. From
providing
chemical safety training to improving work procedural training, today's managers spend a
good
portion of their time educating workers about potential safety hazards. However, one area
with
which many managers have little experience with is evaluating the safety merits of work
equipment.
Product safety evaluations require in-depth knowledge and technical expertise. Though most
managers are not technically qualified to make in-depth product safety evaluations, there
are
organizations -- such as Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) -- that can help.
UL is a product-safety testing and certification organization. Founded in 1894, UL is an
independent corporation and has no ties to companies whose products it evaluates. It
generates
revenue through charging fees for product evaluation and follow-up service evaluations.
UL's Beginnings
UL grew from efforts by the insurance industry to evaluate fire safety standards. In 1893,
the
city of Chicago, IL, hosted the Columbian Exposition, which featured the largest public
use of
electrical lights to that date. The massive light display brought with it unforeseen fire
hazards.
The Chicago Board of Fire Underwriters hired William Henry Merrill, an electrical
investigator,
to study the circumstances surrounding fires which had occurred at the exposition.
Merrill's
findings underscored the need for increased public safety and electrical application
reviews.
With the support of the insurance underwriters, he conducted the first scientific
evaluation of
electrical insulating material. UL grew as a result of Merrill's work.
Today, UL is one of America's leading product safety certification organizations. It
employs
more than 900 qualified engineers, safety professionals and support staff in the fields of
engineering, business, computer technology, mathematics, communications and the physical
sciences. These professionals help to develop, evaluate and apply standards used in
product
safety certification.
What Does UL Do?
UL evaluates products for safety risks. Using established standards, UL tests products to
see if
they meet the technical requirements of the applicable governing standard. If the product
meets
the prescribed criteria, the product is eligible to have a UL-designated mark.
The UL mark is dependent upon two criteria:
* The governing code used for product evaluation
* The scope of the product's evaluation. A product may be evaluated as a whole, or
individual
components of the product may be evaluated.
Standards used to evaluate products have been developed by UL or other recognized
agencies.
UL has published more than 680 Standards for Safety, with 80 percent of these standards
designated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as American National
Standards.
Four Safety Levels
There are four major levels of UL safety designation, based on its product safety
evaluations:
Listing, Classification, Recognition Service and Certification.
UL Listing. This is the most recognized safety certification symbol. Using recognized
standards,
a product is tested for electric shock, fire and other safety hazards. If the product
successfully
meets all applicable standards, the product is eligible for UL listing and may carry the
UL mark.
All products which become UL-listed must participate in the Follow-up Services Program.
Field
representatives make unannounced visits to manufacturers' production facilities to ensure
that
products continue to meet all UL requirements.
UL Classification. Products which successfully pass evaluation for certain properties are
eligible
for UL classification. For example, a product could be evaluated for a flammability hazard
or for
use in a specific setting (in a hazardous location). Floor finishes may be evaluated for
slip
resistance properties.
Products evaluated for compliance with standards not developed by UL, including
international
standards, are eligible for UL classification. Products must successfully meet the
requirements of
the UL standard in order to be UL Classified.
UL Recognition Service. UL evaluates components which will be used in products that will
be
UL-listed or -classified. The component could be a switch or plastic enclosure. UL will
evaluate
the component and issue it a "UL Recognized" designation if the component meets
all criteria.
A product which has UL recognized components can be evaluated much quicker than a product
which does not have recognized components. Products with UL recognized components are not
automatically given UL listing. The product must still undergo testing for UL listing.
UL Certification. There are circumstances in which the safety performance of a product is
dependent upon its installation. When this situation exists, the product must be installed
by an
authorized installer. The installer is said to be UL-certified. The UL certification is
"released" to
authorized installers of the product. An example of a product whose safety performance is
dependent on its installation is a burglar alarm.
UL certification is also given to manufacturers of products for issuance to the ultimate
end users
and installers. Products installed by UL-certified installers (authorized and end-user)
must be
UL-listed.
Many cleaning and maintenance managers ask that the items they purchase be UL-classified.
By
understanding the purpose of UL and by being familiar with the varying levels of UL mark
categorization, managers can be better informed about their products' safety levels. The
safety
certifications granted by UL give a manager assurance that the products they use are
tested and
safe.
Wil Dawkins is senior manager at The Sanitation Solutions (Sani-Solv) Group, Inc., a
janitorial
consulting and training firm in Jacksonville, FL.
Copyright© 1995 National Trade Publications, Inc. |
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