Standards and certification-related updates

May 13, 2008

PAG 1.5-01 outlines the UL Certification policy on acceptance of components in Information Technology Equipment (ITE) certified by UL. If you have any questions on this ITE certification policy for components, please feel free to contact the local/regional UL ITE staff member you interface with regularly or UL Customer Service.

February 8, 2008

Information technology equipment (ITE) marketed with children as an intended user group

There is a growing trend for Information Technology Equipment to be marketed with children as a primary or secondary intended user group. Low-priced notebook/laptop computers aimed at children, including children in developing nations, are examples of the trend.

UL has studied this trend and adopted a certification position that such ITE, while subject to UL/IEC 60950-1 as the base safety standard, also should be subject to additional safety considerations and requirements. UL has adopted this position based on a review of the current scope and limitations of IEC 60950-1 with respect to safe use of ITE used by children, with additional consideration given to US CFR Title 16, Chapter II, Subchapter C, Part 1505, which addresses not only 'toys', but also "other electrically operated article[s] intended for use by children."

When UL's ITE customers request UL certification and IECEE CB services of such global ITE, UL typically will consider applicable parts of the following Standards:

Regarding UL 696 and ASTM F963, although most of this class of ITE obviously are not 'toys,' and typically are a form of a 'child development tool' or similar class of product, some of same safety considerations addressed within these documents are valid by nature of the products being handled and used by children. It is noted that the requirements in UL 696 and ASTM F963 are aligned with U.S. CFR Title 16, Chapter II, Subchapter C, Part 1505.

As part of a UL certification evaluation, appropriate requirements for the specific product and application will be identified using a hazard-based safety engineering (HBSE) methodology. UL has summarized some key certification considerations for this class of ITE in our Practical Application Guideline: ITE Intended to be Used by Children.

If you have any questions on UL's ITE services for ITE intended to be use by children, please feel free to contact UL Customer Service for additional information.

November 26, 2007

The new UL/IEC 60950-22, First Edition Certification Impact Analysis is available. This Analysis discusses the new First Edition of UL/IEC 60950-22, Standard for Safety of Information Technology Equipment - Equipment to be Installed Outdoors, and its impact on certification of Outdoor ITE.

November 14, 2007

The new UL/IEC 60950-1, Second Edition Certification Impact Analysis is available. This Analysis identifies notable differences between the latest versions of the UL/IEC 60950-1 Standards for Safety of Information Technology Equipment (ITE) and their immediate predecessors, and discusses their impact. In particular, IEC 60950-1 Second Edition & UL 60950-1 Second Edition are analyzed and compared to their predecessors, IEC 60950-1 and UL 60950-1 First Editions.

September 22 Meeting Report of the August 30-31, 2006 meeting of the Bi-National Working Group (BNWG) for Information Technology and Telecommunication Equipment.

Effective Dates

NEW EDITION OF UL 60950-1 UL is in the process of removing Effective Date information from UL's ITE related standards. In the most recent set of revisions to UL 60950-1 and with the First Edition of UL 60950-21 you will notice this new approach. We are now providing Effective Date information on this Web site. This information will be updated as necessary to accurately track the current Effective Date information for the related standards. It is recommended that you check back here from time to time so that you will have the most current Effective Date information.