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Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is recognized as the organization of safety testing and certification. UL publishes well-known standards that apply to many products including generators, fuel tanks, transfer switches, circuit breakers, and other electrical equipment. Many of these products are also covered by NFPA or Building Codes, but the UL standard covers safety and use. Many government agencies will not consider equipment that is not UL Certified and specifying engineers are inclined to include UL standards in their detailed specifications. For a product to be “UL Listed”, a manufacturer must comply with a specific UL standard and pay a required fee to UL.
UL 2200 – Addresses the entire generator set and is primarily concerned with reducing the risk of shock, fire, and machinery-related injuries. This standard also addresses matters of such as the routing of fuel lines and safety measures for rotating parts. UL2200 also requires manufacturers to load-test their generator sets to verify that they can produce nameplate-rated power loads.
UL 142 – Covers steel fuel tanks intended for above-ground storage of diesel fuel. Tanks covered by these requirements are fabricated, inspected, and tested for leakage and/or structural damage before shipment from the factory.
UL 891 – Provides safety criteria for electrical switchboard up to 600 volts.
UL 1008 – Sets standards for safety and performance of automatic and manual transfer switches as required by the National Electric Code.
UL 1558 – Addresses metal-enclosed low-voltage power circuit breaker switchgear assemblies containing such devices as low-voltage power circuit breakers, other interrupting devices, switches, control, instrumentation and metering, protective and regulating equipment.
For additional information about UL Standards, see:
- mtu Technical Article: Codes and Standards for Onsite Power Systems
- dB(i) Information Sheet: UL2200 as it Relates to Custom Packaging
- ASCO White Paper: UL 1008 Withstand and Closing Rating Requirements
- ASCO White Paper: UL Standards for Power Control System Equipment
- UL Technical Article: UL142 Above Ground Flammable Liquid Tanks
- Consulting Specifying Engineer Magazine Article: Confirm UL Approval on Gensets
- UL Laboratories Website: www.UL.com
