The correct way to open the U.S. market | UL reveals the U.S. market access and conformity assessment system for you

Date：2021/5/12　　Clicks：965

As a global independent standard development, testing and certification organization, UL's influence in the U.S. and even the global safety industry is pivotal.

So far, UL has issued nearly 1,900 safety, quality and sustainability standards and technical specifications, of which more than 70% have become American national standards. Every year, UL's safety information reaches about 2 billion global consumers. Every year, 22 billion products with the UL mark are circulated in the global market. On average, every American household has 125 kinds of daily necessities affixed with the UL mark.

The reason why UL is well-known in the United States and capable and qualified to provide professional services to many companies around the world is that UL has obtained corresponding recognition and authorization in the US market access legal system and conformity assessment system.

Since its establishment in 1894, UL has always actively participated in the US national market access and conformity assessment activities, and cooperated with relevant government departments to apply professional knowledge and capabilities to help carry out conformity assessment activities more effectively and economically, and to help many outstanding brands Successfully entered the US market.

Today, we will take a detailed look at the American market access regulations and conformity assessment requirements to reveal the historical origins of UL and the American security industry.

Current U.S. Conformity Assessment Regulations

As we all know, if a product wants to enter a foreign market, it needs to meet the market access regulations and conformity assessment requirements of the corresponding country.

Conformity assessment

According to the definition in the international standard ISO/IEC17000 "Conformity Assessment Vocabulary and General Principles", Conformity Assessment refers to "the confirmation that the requirements related to products, processes, systems, personnel or institutions are met".

Conformity assessment mainly includes four types: testing, inspection, certification, and accreditation. The objects of inspection, testing and certification are products, services, and enterprise organizations; the objects of recognition are institutions engaged in inspection, testing and certification. Obtaining accreditation means obtaining third-party certification: formally show that the conformity assessment body has the ability to perform specific conformity assessment tasks.

Conformity assessment regulations

The current federal regulations in the United States clearly regulate how voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment activities are applied in federal government regulatory activities, which mainly include the following three: "National Technology Transfer and Promotion Act (NTTAA)", " The White House Office of Management and Budget’s A-119 Announcement (OMB Circular A-119), and the “Guidelines for Federal Government Conformity Assessment Activities, Chapter 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 287 (15 CFR Part 287)”.

According to the above regulations, the federal government is obliged to adopt voluntary consensus standards as much as possible (avoid the development of unique government standards) and use conformity assessment activities. The federal government is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of its conformity assessment activities. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, under the US Department of Commerce) is responsible for supervising and coordinating the work of various federal government departments in the field of standards and conformity assessment activities.

So far, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Federal government agencies have adopted conformity assessment schemes in their respective regulatory schemes for different product areas, and all accept or approve third-party conformity assessment agencies to assess the conformity of products, but the respective third-party agencies in different schemes Taking responsibility will be different.

UL and the U.S. Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program

For example, the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program (NRTL Program) of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was founded in 1988 to ensure that the products in its program catalog have been tested and certified by third-party agencies. It can be used safely in the workplace in the United States. The plan is essentially a mandatory safety certification system for products to enter the US market.

The US federal regulations stipulate that only private sector conformity assessment agencies accredited and authorized by OSHA, under the premise of meeting a series of qualification requirements, that is, the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), can undertake the corresponding testing and certification work. Each NRTL has its own authorized test standard scope. At present, the number of member institutions participating in the NRTL program, including UL, has reached 20. The product catalog of the NRTL program has also been expanded to 39 categories, mainly including electronic and electrical products, fire sensors and fire extinguishing equipment, among which electronic and electrical equipment accounts for Than the biggest.

Throughout the development history of OSHA, UL has always been committed to providing professional safety technical support for OSHA, and has continued to provide assistance since the inception of the NRTL program. Of the 790 product safety testing standards adopted by OSHA and used in the NRTL program, more than 80% of the standards come from UL.

Opening up the US market, ensuring product safety, reliability, and compliance, and meeting the requirements of relevant US regulations is the key. UL entered China in 1980 and is committed to providing Chinese manufacturers with convenient, fast and excellent localized testing and certification services, and helping Chinese products enter the North American and global markets. For more than 40 years, UL has always fulfilled its long-term commitment to the Chinese market, helping customers deal with complex regulations and procedures, and achieving the trust and reputation of Chinese brands in the international market.

From product research and development, supply chain selection, supply chain risk assessment, to production and after-sales, UL provides full life cycle safety solutions for Chinese companies. At present, UL has 8 laboratories, 12 branches, and many third-party cooperative laboratories and customer laboratories with UL certification in China. It is committed to serving the Chinese local market in depth and contributing to the internationalization and innovation of Chinese companies. Enabling the high-quality development of science and technology.