About UL, cUL & CE Certification
CE, UL, CSA, ETL, ETL: What is the difference?
For lighting, most lamps will have a certification such as CE, UL, CSA, ETL, ETL.
What do these certification marks mean? Basically they are stamps of approval.
Products with those logos meet rigorous standards for electrical safety and electromagnetic emissions. The acronyms are spelled out below:
UL: Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
CSA: Canadian Standards Association
ETL: Originally a mark of ETL Testing Laboratories, now a mark of Intertek Testing Services.
Lets look more closely at each organization.
The European Commission describes the CE mark as a "passport" that allows manufacturers to circulate industrial products freely within the internal market of the EU. The CE mark certifies that the products have met EU health, safety and environmental requirements that ensure consumer and workplace safety. All manufacturers in the EU and abroad must affix the CE mark to those products covered by the "New Approach" directives in order to market their products in Europe. Once a product receives the CE mark, it can be marketed throughout the EU without undergoing further product modification.
An important document related to CE is the Declaration of Conformity (D.O.C.). Basically it's a piece of paper which a company authority must sign to say that the device meets the requirements of the Directive. The D.O.C. must include a list of any standards used to justify the claim of compliance with the Directive. Youll see the Declaration of Conformity packed with certain Crown products, either separately or as part of the operation manual.
In operation for more than a century, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization that writes and tests products for safety and certifies them. UL has developed more than 800 standards for safety, and millions of products and their components are tested to ULs safety standards.
ULs web site is at http://www.ul.com. Information about UL standards can be found at http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com.
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is a nonprofit association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace. Among many other activities, CSA develops standards that enhance public safety.
A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, CSA is very familiar with U.S. requirements. According to OSHA regulations, the CSA-US Mark qualifies as an alternative to the UL Mark.
The ETL Listed Mark is an alternative to the CSA and UL marks.
ETL Testing Laboratories has been conducting electrical performance and reliability tests since 1896. Intertek Testing Services (ITS) acquired ETL from Inchcape in 1996. ITS is recognized by OSHA as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), just as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and several other independent organizations are recognized.
ITS tests products according to nearly 200 safety and performance standards. The ETL Listed Mark and C-ETL Listed Mark are accepted throughout the United States and Canada when denoting compliance with nationally recognized standards such as ANSI, IEC, UL, and CSA.
This certification mark indicates that the product has been tested to and has met the minimum requirements of a widely recognized (consensus) U.S. product safety standard, that the manufacturing site has been audited, and that the applicant has agreed to a program of periodic factory follow-up inspections to verify continued conformance.
If the mark includes a small US and/or C, it follows product safety standards of United States and/or Canada, respectively.
Installation Tips:
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We suggest to hire a licensed and bonded electrician and/or contractor for all installations and/or installation advice.
It's always a good idea to ask a complimentary estimate from several electricians so you can compare between them. Before you hire an electrician, always make sure to ask for a copy of a current license. It is also a good idea to ask for proof of worker's compensation. On average, an electrician should carry at least $500,000 in liability insurance and worker's compensation.
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More information can be found in wikipedia including: UL Certification, CSA Certification, EL Certification; a division of Intertek.