You may have noticed that many products carry a variety of certification marks such

as UL, CSA, ETL or CE and so on. What do these certification marks mean and is

there a difference?

Basically they are stamps of approval from independent agencies certifying that

products 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.

CE: Conformance European (Communaut Europ enne or Conformit Europ enne)

Let’s look more closely at each organization.

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 UL’s safety standards.

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, ETL 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 16. Intertek Testing Services (ITS) acquired ETL from Inchcape in 1996. Intertek 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.

Intertek 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.

What is the CE mark, and what is its purpose?

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. You’ll see the Declaration of Conformity packed with certain products, either separately or as part of the operation manual.If a product is stamped CE, the product does not emit excessive radiation (microwave or RF), and is not overly sensitive to picking up radiation.

In summary, the certification marks on products are your assurance that the product meets rigorous standards for electrical safety and electromagnetic emissions. It poses no shock hazard (except as noted on the product or in the manual), and it will not cause electromagnetic interference with other devices beyond a certain distance. You can use the product with confidence.

For CE certification, the ability or the certification scope of the Certification Body can be searched on the website

http://ec.europa.eu.下载本文