Understanding Charging Safety Standards

If a product has a UL label on it – a consumer knows the product has actually been reviewed and tested, for UL standards, and if used in the intended manner and as described by the product manufacturer, will not cause a fire, nor present an electrical shock hazard.  You probably don’t see it, but, almost, if not all electrical items in your house, are tested to meet one or more UL standards.  Even the laptop computer is tested to UL 60950-1.  The stickers you see on extension cords list the UL standards and testing.  All the circuit breakers, circuit breaker box, wires, switches, outlets, etc are covered by and tested to a UL safety specification.  Most county and city building “codes” are written from, or refer to the NEC (National Electrical Code). NEC specifies how to design and install electrical circuits (the wiring in your house).  NEC specifies all the equipment used must be “UL certified and labeled”.  If you went to a hardware store and bought a replacement circuit breaker, you would find the UL trademark on the circuit breaker.

The UL is over 100 years old, was originally funded by the fire insurance industry, and presently has over 1000 technical standards documents.  UL is primarily funded by testing and consulting fees.  Its electrical safety standards are recognized around the world and are the basis for many international electrical safety standards.  Other nations and regions have also created a series of electrical safety standards.  Today, most of the safety creation entities, around the world, work together to produce a single, worldwide specification. Often, the group that publishes the international standard is IEC,  International Electrical Council.

An important part of safety is actually reviewing a product and testing that it meets a safety standard.  Any product with a UL symbol on it – was actually tested by the UL. 

UL – writing of specifications and testing, was a great idea, and one that has proven its worth.  Other countries and regions wanted to adopt the same ideas.  More and more products are designed and manufactured in China and imported into the USA.  This led to the creation of testing organizations.  An oversight body was created – NRTL, to “test and certify, the testers”.  This has led to several trademarks as “equal” to the UL mark.  This includes TUV and cTUVus, and CSA.  CSA is the Canadian Safety Agency – somewhat equivalent to the USA-based UL.  TUV is also the name of the company, founded in Germany.  TUV has become “accredited” by the NRTL to test and certify products meeting UL and IEC standards.

The mark TUV – indicates the product was tested by the company TUV.  The mark cTUVus is a mark the product was tested by the company TUV as meeting USA safety standards written by UL.

TUV is a competitor to UL, only for testing.  TUV operates in many countries, including the USA, and China.  TUV can test a product in China, to a USA standard, for import into the USA.

When a product is designed and manufactured, governments and other agencies require the product to not only meet electrical safety specs (such as UL), but radio interference specs.  In the USA, interference specifications are written by the FCC.  The most familiar specification to electronic engineers is Part 15.  Testing is also required to certify compliance with FCC Part 15.  Again, an FCC trademark on the label of electronic equipment certifies the product has been tested for radio interference.

Like UL, other countries have specifications and testing for radio interference.  The EU established a set of specifications, and tests for radio interference, known as the “CE” mark.   CE is a French abbreviation for “Conformité Européenne”, or  “European Conformity”.  CE mark is “all-encompassing”  It covers both radio interference and electrical safety. The mark is required for selling products in the EU.  

Companies designing and manufacturing want to optimize design and testing.  That includes testing at only one location, and designing to one, “super standard”.  TUV provided that optimization.

The net is – the TUV, CE, and cTUVus symbols let you know, as a consumer, the product has been designed and tested to meet electrical safety standards and radio interference specifications, no matter where the product was designed or manufactured. While UL is most widely recognized as long as you have any of the above safety standards, the product will not present a hazard.