Just How Important is 3rd Party Certification (UL/CSA, etc)?

[TZellers]

When you get right down to it, just how important is UL/CSA or similar certification? Does it reduce the amount a jury awards a user in the event of failure? Does it protect you from lawsuits to begin with? Is it required by law in certain areas? Do insurance companies withold payouts if a user doesn't buy it? Is it a racket?

I realize most large companies require it, but why? And please don't say it is "just needed". There must be a benefit to it, right?

 

[buzzp]

Third party assures the purchaser the design meets industry standards regarding safety. By safety, I mean little to no risk of fire. They, as you likely know, do not care if the thing works as long as it does not have any fire hazards.
As far as this being required, it is not required on the surface. However, your local authority may require the device to be approved by UL or CSA or your end user. There are also plenty of markets available that could care less about the third party certification (I wont reveal these sources-hehe).
I have not heard of any cases where certification or no certification had any affect on the outcome of a lawsuit. Although, I am certain there is cases to point out. Having the certification tells the court that you took reasonable steps to assure the safety of the product. With some standards, it is easy to prove compliance with the standard even though you never actually sent it in to the agency for testing. This could be shown using your own testing, evaluations, etc.
Myself, working with UL508 alot, have to say that generally it is money going down the drain to send it in for testing, especially with the rising costs and lead times to get it through testing. If there was few cases where this certification did not help with a lawsuit, I would say it is really a rip off for the seasoned engineer. If your making a new product that falls within a different category or are not familiar with the standard (intimately) then it is probably money well spent to make sure you have the safest product available to reduce the risk of a lawsuit.

 

[TZellers]

Thanks buzzp. The standard I'm grappling with is UL 778, Motor Operated Water Pumps. Most of it relates to the motor (electrical concerns). Some of the requirements are, I think, too much. For example, I don't see why a junior grade cordset is a problem for a non-submersible pump.

At any rate, it just got me wondering if this is a racket, just as trade shows seem at times (if your not there, something is wrong, but if you do go, it is a competitive info gathering instead of a valuable sales tool).

 

[alexit]

It is required in certain locations/circumstances, particularly OSHA and the various unions come down hard on companies that install non-certified (or wrongly certified i.e. CE) equipment.

Alex

 

[buzzp]

I think sometimes they get a little carried away but at the same time I believe they take on some liability when they say it is safe. So they too have to cover their rear-ends. Although, sometimes their requirements seem to be a little excessive. Good luck.