IMPORTANCE OF STANDARDS & MARKS

Standards are everywhere. Without standards our society would not function.

A standard is a document established by consensus that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for products, services or systems. Simple things we take for granted, from traffic signals to units of measurement, are the same from one place to another, thanks to standards.

Standards are essential in helping ensure public safety and confidence, reduce costs, improve quality and market products and services. Many products and their components are tested to ULC’s standards, with the result that consumers live and work in a safer and more reliable environment than they would have, otherwise.

ULC is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), a federal Crown corporation that oversees Canada’s National Standards System. In Canada, standards are developed through consensus by balanced committees of stakeholders, and subjected to public review, prior to publication. The SCC also reviews standards submitted by standards development organizations for approval as National Standards of Canada.

A ULC or UL mark on a product means that ULC or UL has tested and evaluated representative samples of that product and determined that they meet ULC/UL's requirements. In addition, products are periodically checked by ULC/UL at the manufacturing facility to make sure they continue to meet ULC and/or UL requirements.