We’ve all seen it. Your local superstore and outdoor center are filled from top to bottom with all sorts of exterior and interior decorations for the holiday season. Most of these incorporate some form of electrical wiring whether it be for lights, fans, lasers, etc. These are incorporated and installed for a short period when it is the wettest and coldest time of the year, not always thinking about if they are safe for that kind of use. Something we realized is maybe note everyone is looking for a NRTL listing, or specifically a UL, CSA, TUV or other listing. Read below to find out what NRTL listings are, how they started, and which ones are the most important.
What is an NRTL?
NRTLs, or Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories, are research and testing labs that are approved for certifying whether or not something is safe to use per OSHA standards. OSHA, or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is the national safety code for all workplace environments. While your home is not a workplace, it is still important to approach situations involving some sort of risk by looking up the best way to doing something following OSHA because it will help keep you and your family safe.
NRTLs cover all sort of industries and situations, but the most important ones we see in household electronics are Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Intertek Testing Services (ETL) which are USA based, CSA Group Testing and Certification (CSA) which is Canadian based, and TÜV Rheinland (TUV) which is North American based. UL listing is the “Kleenex” of standards but any of these are appropriate testing labs. One thing that may surprise people is how long UL has been around.
History of UL
Underwriters Laboratories has been around for over 100 years, starting in Chicago. Founder William Henry Merrill came to the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 after being asked to observe and make sure electrical wiring was safe for a portion of the fair. After doing that, he realized he could make a business and organization based around certifying electrical and fire safety of emerging technology. Thus, UL was created in 1894 and has been the industry approval for most of the things we use today. As UL has grown, different levels of certification and recognition have been created.
What is the difference of a UL Listing and UL Recognition?
UL Recognition is commonly assigned to components of product where UL Listing is used for standalone products. Examples of components that could receive recognition are circuit boards, drivers, and built-in fans. Somethings that could receive a listing are computers, televisions, and lighting fixtures. A UL recognized component needs to be installed into a product that ultimately carries a UL label.
What are IP ratings?
While all of these different forms of safety approval help selecting the safest option for your home, one other type of identification homeowners should look for is the IP rating. IEC, International Electrotechnical Commission, developed the IP, ingress protection, rating scale to determine what situations products are suited for in terms of particulates and water. The first number dictates particulates, and the second number dictates water. Examples of how it would be presented are IP 56 or IP 67. See below for what each number specifically means:
Why is this so important?
Well safety is key, and electricity can be shocking. In a situation where a fire is caused and products without a NRTL listing are in that environment, the insurance company does not need to cover the expenses. So, stay safe this holiday season. Make sure when you are shopping online or in stores to look for these markings before purchasing and installing. If something is not rated to what you want, we suggest looking for something else. Happy Holidays from Morlights!
