A Guide On Laboratory Equipment Certifications
As a leading manufacturer of laboratory fume hoods and furniture, Kewaunee takes the safety and quality of our products seriously. Besides the rigorous testing process carried out in our manufacturing units, we certify our products under leading standards and regulations.
Certifications mean one important thing for our customers – the products they buy for their labs meet stringent international and regional regulations. For this blog, I will cover the UL certifications for Kewaunee’s fume hoods, safety cabinets, and lab furniture.
First, let’s understand how these certifications work.
OSHA, NRTL & STANDARDS
In 1970, the United States Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act and set up the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The aim of OSHA is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and help.
OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) program recognizes third-party organizations to perform safety testing and certification of products covered within OSHA. For an NRTL to test products for a certain standard, they must first meet the qualifications specified by OSHA. After an NRTL is approved, labs will be routinely audited by OSHA to make sure they are following OSHA’s qualifications. There are more than a dozen NRTLs approved by OSHA, and many have multiple campuses where testing can be performed.
Finally, the standards are typically named after the NRTL that develops the standard. Just as OSHA accredits NRTL facility, OSHA also approves the standards developed by the NRTL. As such, there are many different standards represented using letter configurations. Some examples include ANSI, CSA, IEEE, ISA, NEMA, TIA, and UL.
Getting back to UL certifications.
UL & UL MARKS
The UL Mark is the single most recognized certification mark in the United States, appearing on 22 billion products annually. Underwriter Laboratories (UL) is a global leader in testing, inspection, certification, auditing, and validation. Underwriter Laboratories has over 100 years of experience creating standards and has created over 1,500 standards. Since Underwriter Laboratories has written so many different standards, this is why UL is synonymous with certification. However, any NRTL can certify to any standard once they have gained approval through OSHA.
There are three types of UL markings products can receive: Listed, Classified, and Recognized.
KEWAUNEE PRODUCTS AND CERTIFICATIONS
LABORATORY FURNITURE
Kewaunee’s laboratory furniture is “Listed” under UL 61010A-1: Electrical Equipment for Laboratory Use. This covers various models under the Enterprise, Evolution, and TFG lines.
VENTILATED PRODUCTS
Kewaunee’s laboratory fume hoods are “Listed” under UL 61010A-1 and “Classified” under UL 1805: Standard for Safety for Laboratory Hoods and Cabinets. This covers Kewaunee’s H series and Venturi series laboratory fume hoods. Kewaunee’s biosafety cabinets are “Listed” under UL 61010A-1. This covers Kewaunee’s Type A2 and Type B2 biosafety cabinets. Biosafety cabinets are also certified under NSF 49.
FLAMMABLE STORAGE CABINETS
Kewaunee’s flammable storage cabinets are “Listed” under UL 1275: Standard for Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets and / or FM 6050: Approval Standard for Storage Cabinets (Flammable and Combustible Liquids). Our Flammable Safety Cabinets are certified by FM 6050, with a few models carrying certification for both standards. Kewaunee’s Flammable Base Cabinets for fume hoods are certified by UL 1275
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND REGARDING CERTIFICATIONS
For instance, Kewaunee’s furniture is manufactured for laboratory use, so it is approved under the standard UL 61010A-1: Electrical Equipment for Laboratory Use. If the furniture were manufactured for office or commercial use it would need to be covered under a different standard, such as UL 1286: Standard for Office Furnishings or UL 962: The Standard for Safety for Household and Commercial Furnishings.
For example, our laboratory fume hoods are “Listed” under UL 61010A-1 and also “Classified” under UL 1805: Standard for Safety for Laboratory Hoods and Cabinets.
- UL 61010A-1 focuses on the electrical side of laboratory furniture. Products, and their individual electrical components, covered under this standard have been reviewed to confirm the units comply with the National Electric Code (NEC)
- UL 1805 – 2006 is an all-inclusive standard that contains not just electrical, but mechanical design, flame testing of the material, and airflow characteristics of a laboratory fume hood. UL 1805 – 2006 is a comprehensive standard that certifies the product meets individual standards, including NFPA 45, ASTM E84, the NEC, etc. NFPA 45 states that liner materials shall have a flame spread index of 25 or less when tested under ASTM E 84 or ANSI/UL 723. While UL 1805 was last updated in 2006, these individual standards are routinely updated to meet the ever-growing advancement of the fume hood industry. Products with UL 1805 – 2006 are only labeled as “Classified” because of the complexity and variability of environments that fume hoods are installed in.
An example of this would be flammable storage cabinets. Flammable storage cabinets can be covered under both UL 1275: Standard for Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets and FM 6050: Approval Standard for Storage Cabinets (Flammable and Combustible Liquids). Both standards are recognized by OSHA and as equivalent standards even though they have different methods of testing. OSHA has recognized that either UL 1275 – 2014 or FM 6050 – 2016 may be accepted in situations where either may be required.
Matthew Warren
Matthew is an Industrial Hygienist / Product Developer at Kewaunee Scientific Corp. Matthew is an expert on ventilated products. Matthew has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Ohio University.
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