Making suggestions or changes to UL

[brother]

Is there a form or a way to try to get the UL to change their requirements on any products for manufacturers?? Reason being, is that alot of the new kitchen equipment I see in commercial still uses the 'egc' as their 'neutral' internally. Just a week ago a chef claim to have gotten shocked off a new cooking oven 208 volt, 3 wire (2 hots 1 ground). The equipment was taken out of service to be checked but nothing was found. The receptacle and wireing was checked as well.

Only thing that was found that all the 120v controls on the oven used the 'ground' as the 'neutral. Im not certain if this was the caused of the guy that claimed to have gotten shocked, (I even asked him if it was just static), but it should not be allowed to use the egc as a current carrying conductor on new equipment when we have to keep everything seperate back to the service panel for safety reasons.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

As far as I know the UL standards only permit the EGC to be used as the grounded conductor when the current will be less than 0.5 mA. I would doubt that the product standards permit the use of the EGC as the grounded conductor for that equipment.

 

[brother]

As far as I know the UL standards only permit the EGC to be used as the grounded conductor when the current will be less than 0.5 mA. I would doubt that the product standards permit the use of the EGC as the grounded conductor for that equipment.

Thanks for the response. Can you tell me where I can find that requirement??

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Thanks for the response. Can you tell me where I can find that requirement??

I do not have any access to the UL standards and they are very expensive to buy.

 

[jim dungar]

Have you contacted UL or posted on their website?
They are usually responsive to situations where their standards or Listings are being mis-applied.

 

[Jraef]

Have you contacted UL or posted on their website?
They are usually responsive to situations where their standards or Listings are being mis-applied.

Yes, that's what I would do if I suspected a violation. I don't know of any UL standard that would allow the use of a EGC as a current carrying conductor, which the Neutral is.

So either the unit does NOT have a UL listing but someone has counterfeited the label (happens more than we think), or it has one, but not with that connection and someone took it upon themselves to make that change without notifying UL, which is a violation of the original listing and UL should be made aware of it.

It's not as though UL stands there and inspects each unit going out the door, but mfrs are kept in line by the threat of having their UL listing revoked, which could put them out of business. How UL finds out about it is unfortunately usually the result of an accident and investigation. You contacting them about this may forestall that serious accident and get it under control in advance.