What is UL Rating and why is it important?

Posted on:

December 20, 2022
11:22 am

Safety is Important.

Any business owner can tell you that the safety of your employees should be your number one priority. And it is very crucial that the equipment your staff and customers surround themselves with on a regular basis functions properly. But more than that it should also be manufactured and installed correctly to avoid malfunctioning and unwanted injuries.

Even outside of your business, plenty of things you might not thought to be hazardous can be listed. Toys and personal care products, packaging materials and even furniture can be listed.

If you’re wondering how you can be sure whats staff, look for the UL certification!

What is UL Certifications?

UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories. For more than 100 years this organization has been developing safety standards, testing products for compliance and putting its mark on things we use every day. Now called UL, it’s one of the largest and best known safety certification organizations in the world.

UL is also an independent, third-party, non-profit organization. Meaning they have nothing to gain, therefore no stake in the products they test. Therefore their seal of approval is unbiased.

UL approval offers assurance that the safety and performance claims behind a product have been thoroughly verified by a third party. UL is also an accredited standards developer in the U.S. and Canada, setting industry standards for manufacturers that innovate new products. To date, UL has developed over 1,500 standards. There is also no such thing as general UL approval, instead they break up their certification into being listed, recognized, or classified.

Understanding Different Types of UL Ratings

The different types of UL ratings can be looking at like the following:

UL Listed Service is given to manufacturers that produce products that meet UL’s standards and gives the manufacturer authorization to test products and apply the UL mark themselves.

UL Recognized Service is applied to products used to produce another product, which indicates that it is safe to use in further production and it is not a mark that is seen on an end product.

UL Classification Service can be placed on products by a manufacturer that makes products that comply with UL’s standards and maintains follow-up with UL to ensure quality and accuracy.

So why does any of this matter? Obtaining UL Certification is important because it demonstrates manufacturers and service providers competency. Consumers want to know the company they hire to install their equipment is qualified to do the job right. I mean, no matter the size of the project we are almost positive you’d want it done right and up to safety standards. UL Certification also shows that a company meets all local and federal safety and environmental regulations. You can rest assured knowing that your employees and customers are safe.