CSA, UL Complete First Phase of Mutual Component Acceptance Program
CSA International (CSA, Northbrook, IL) and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) have adopted an expanded Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and completed the first phase of a mutual acceptance program for electrical components, the first milestones of an agreement the two testing organizations signed Nov. 10, 2003.
That agreement, which is designed to assist manufacturers in getting their products to Canadian and U.S. markets more quickly, without redundant testing, was the result of several months of negotiation between UL and CSA, with support from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Electro-Federation Canada and major electrical manufacturers.
The expanded MoU covers 50 additional component and 11 additional end-products categories as well as all of the 13 product categories covered in the original 1996 MoU, allowing manufacturers to obtain both UL and CSA certification and listing with a single product test conducted by either company.
With the completion of the first phase of the component agreement, CSA and UL now accept several component categories for use in low voltage distribution and industrial control equipment. As many as 52 additional component categories and 11 additional end-product categories are being considered under the agreement.
A complete listing of components and end-products covered by the expanded MoU and the component acceptance agreement is available at: www.csa-international.org/components and www.ul.com/components.
CSA is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. UL is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products for more than 110 years.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
