WEBVTT - What do the ul marks on so many products mean? 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.400 Welcome to brain Stuff from house stuff works dot com, 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:08.760 where smart happens Him Marshall Brain with today's question, what 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:13.399 do the UL marks on so many products mean? U 0:00:13.720 --> 0:00:18.360 L stands for Underwriter's Laboratories, an organization that has been 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:21.360 around for more than a hundred years. If you visit 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:24.360 the u L site at UL dot com, you can 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:28.800 find the following description. U L is a world leader 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:32.519 in product safety testing and certification. For more than one 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:37.200 hundred years, manufacturers have had their merchandise evaluated and tested 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:43.320 for safety risks by our independent third party safety certification organization. 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:48.280 Last year alone, approximately fourteen billion products with the u 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:52.520 L mark entered the global marketplace. A good summer used 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:56.040 by u L is a not for profit organization dedicated 0:00:56.080 --> 0:01:00.280 to public safety. You all set standards for different auduct 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:03.920 categories and test products to make sure they meet the standards. 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.720 U L may also certify the installation of products in 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:12.760 the field. Underwriters, by the way, are insured. Do you 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:16.120 have any ideas or suggestions for this podcast? If so, 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:19.039 please send me an email at podcast at how stuff 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:21.800 works dot com. For more on this and thousands of 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:26.400 other topics, go to how stuff works dot com.