In a message dated 9/27/02 3:38:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
> >>>.Yes, UL and CSA unfortunately are the only organizations who would like > to > see their country standards covered by their own laboratories. That means > CSA will accept a UL Recognized component when they investigate a product > to > UL standards but will not accept a UL Recognized component when they > investigate a product to CSA standards. Same goes for UL; they will acccept > a CSA Certified component when they investigate a product to CSA standards > but will not accept a CSA Certified component when they investigate a > product to UL Standards.<<<<< In fairness to the certifiers on the component issue - there is no obligation on any certification agency to accept the mark of another certification agency as grounds to apply their own mark. If you're a certifier, your entire business depends on your ability to control the quality of your mark, and it's a risky business practice to offer blanket acceptance on another agency's certification marks. So from the manufacturer's perspective, any degree of acceptance you get in this regard is a perc. > >>>>>When I asked noth organizations why they do this: they responded that > their MOU covers acceptance of the test results but not the follow-ups. > This is > why each would ask for the complete construction details so that they can > cover the components and make money off follow-ups.<<<<< The supposed "MOU" between UL and CSA is an imaginary beast, invoked sometimes by one side or the other when it behooves them, but ignored systematically by both. Neither agency formally honors the MOU, which was signed over 15 years ago and promptly forgotton the day CSA applied for NRTL accreditation in the US. There is no mutual quality auditing going on between the two agencies, as would normally be specified under an MOU. Never has been. To my knowledge, UL assessors have never once set foot in a CSA lab facility and vice versa. The two agencies accept or don't accept each other's certifications based on....well, let's say based on other less quantitative factors.
