Companies that wish to export machinery and equipment to the United States will almost inevitably be confronted with the issue of “product liability.” When the media reports on spectacular product liability lawsuits in North America, the damages awarded to plaintiffs by the courts sometimes seem wildly excessive by European standards. This creates the impression that companies are liable even for completely absurd uses of their products, as was the case in the famous example of drying a cat in a microwave. This approach to product liability deters many companies interested in exporting and can easily lead to uncertainty. In addition, the requirements for machine safety in Germany and Europe differ significantly from those in North America and Canada. For example, there are different types of electrical circuits in North America. The symbols used in circuit diagrams also differ from European symbols. Machines intended for these markets must therefore meet different requirements than those intended for the European market. And, above all, the utmost attention must be paid to machine safety.
Testing in accordance with the UL standard
To ensure machine safety in North America and Canada, there are strict standards that manufacturers must comply with when designing and building their machines and systems. A large portion of these standards for the United States was developed by the independent organization Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL). In addition to developing UL standards, UL also tests products, components, materials, and systems to determine whether they meet precisely defined requirements. If they do, the products are awarded a UL mark, which they may display as long as they continue to comply with the specified UL standard. There is no single “UL standard for the U.S.”, but rather a wide variety of UL standards. For example, UL has developed over 1,300 safety standards for the North American market. For UL approval of control cabinets in general locations, for example, the UL standard UL 508A is applicable; this standard is also recognized for approval in Canada.
What Is Machine Safety in North America?
For control cabinets installed in standard locations (OrdLoc area), the UL 508A standard applies in the U.S. and Canada. According to this standard, the main switch must lock out the control cabinet. For this reason, it cannot be installed in the control cabinet door. It must either be connected to the mounting plate via a mechanical interlock linkage or supplemented with an electric door interlock. Both options entail additional costs and require more space compared to the permitted methods in the EU.
Where can you obtain a UL certification mark for your control system?
Your control system must be designed and built in accordance with the applicable UL standard. It is then certified and awarded the UL mark. KRAYER is one of the few specialists in Germany that not only designs and builds control systems but is also authorized to certify them in-house. This means you receive your control system complete with the UL mark from a single source. For the UL approval of your entire machine or system, KRAYER works closely with network partners. In addition, KRAYER takes the lead in handling the export process through to the commissioning of the machine or system in North America. This approach is not only convenient for you but also safe, as UL certification allows you to minimize your product liability risk. And it has the major advantage that you don’t have to navigate the jungle of UL standards on your own. For a detailed look at your options for obtaining UL certification, read the article “Where Does UL Certification of the Control Cabinet Take Place?” Image credit: ©Andrey Popov/123rf.com
