UL 8750 safety standard for LED lighting is published

Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent product safety certification organization based in Northbrook, Illinois, has published ANSI/UL 8750 “Safety Standard for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Equipment for Use in Lighting Products.”

The first-edition standard creates a global platform of safety requirements for LED lighting equipment as well as the entire supply chain of components used in lighting products employing LED technology.

“UL 8750 provides manufacturers a single, much-needed safety standard for testing their LED products and related components sold in the United States,” said Alberto Uggetti, general manager, UL Lighting Business.

In North America, several Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs), including UL itself, are authorized to conduct product safety testing and certification of LED products according to standards that now include UL 8750. See our article “Navigating the product safety certification process for solid-state lighting products” for more on this subject.

With the push for energy efficiency and clean technologies worldwide, LEDs are being used in an increasing number of lighting products ranging from general illumination and pool lighting to electric signs and holiday lights. As LED technology has evolved in newer, high voltage and light output applications, potential safety concerns – including the risk of overheating, electric shock and fire – needed to be addressed.

In response to this need, UL hosted a lighting stakeholder summit with more than 100 representatives of industry, government and research and testing organizations to discuss the proliferation of LED technology and its future use in lighting design and manufacturing.

Using the insight gained from the summit and along with its more than 80 years of lighting safety experience, UL published the first of three Outlines of Investigations, or safety requirements, in January 2007, which eventually became UL 8750. See UL initiates safety certification for LEDs and fixtures (Jan 2007).

UL provides global testing capacity and capabilities including a state-of-the-art testing facility where products can be tested to both national (UL) and international (IEC) standards, providing its customers with global market access. UL tests and certifies all types of lighting products, components and accessories globally to more than 30 safety and performance standards.