Some engineers think it is science. Others contend it is some type of black magic.
Many have no idea of exactly how the process works.
Regardless of what is known -or unknown - about the submission and evaluation process, there are few that will disagree with the premise that agency certifications, such as those offered by organizations like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), or Intertek, formerly known as Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL), to name only a few, are an important part of any product offering in the wire and cable industry. With today's focus on product safety, there has been an increased need for wire and cable products to carry either a listed or recognized mark signifying they have been independently evaluated and have met the appropriate safety guidelines that have been established based on their intended use.
In an attempt to help bring some clarity to the agency certification process for bulk cable, Mike Levesque has posed a series of related questions to Randy Elliott, C&M Corporation's Regulatory Compliance Engineer. Randy has been a practicing engineer in the wire and cable industry for over 20 years. His background in R&D and design engineering has brought him into contact with regulatory agencies and their requirements on a regular basis throughout his career. For the past three years, his focus has been completely on regulatory issues for C&M.
Who is responsible for testing and what do their results mean?