UL and You- Safety testing, home inspections and electrical equipment.

There was a long diatribe on one of the Forums about home inspections, electrical inspections, UL listing (safety testing) and manufacture specifications.  We all have our view on many things but I thought I would share a very important piece of regulatory law.

This is in regards of Washington State RCW (Revised Code of Washington) 19.28.010.

From the January 2014 Washington State Labor and Industries Newsletter.

“Electrical Equipment Must Meet Manufacturing Safety Standards

RCW 19.28.010 requires all materials, devices, appliances, and equipment under the jurisdiction of the electrical law to be “of a type that conforms to applicable standards or be indicated as acceptable by the established standards of any electrical product testing laboratory which is accredited by the department.” The requirement that electrical equipment be manufactured to appropriate safety standards has been in Washington Law for over forty years. OSHA and most states have similar requirements. There are many quality manufacturing firms that get their products certified (and identified, marked, or labeled) by third-party product testing laboratories and safety standards experts.

However, there are product manufacturers willing to sell untested electrical products to unsuspecting and uninformed customers. This questionable business practice may give additional profit and competitive advantage to the manufacturer, but it unfairly places the burden of proof of electrical safety on the consumer or end user.

The electrical contractor and installer should make their customers aware of these requirements as early as possible in the design and planning stage of a project. Preventing the purchase of equipment that is not tested or evaluated for electrical safety can prevent costly delays at the end of the project.”

As you can see from this statement it is very important that you use materials and equipment that has been through proper testing protocols.

Labor and Industries oversees the State’s electrical permitting and inspection process (Many of the larger municipalities will have their own Electrical inspectors and AHJ’s).

Here is a list of some of the Registered Certification Marks- Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs)

Testing, codes and manufactured specification are all intertwined to provide a certain level of safety for us, as consumers and citizens. This is never an end all in but just one piece of the process. We as inspectors, trades-people and contractors have an important part of this process also.

As home inspectors we can help in this process and understanding to our clients the home owners.

“The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.”

Plato

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

www.ncwhomeinspections.com                                               509-670-9572