UL proposes building construction/materials standards; develops extinguisher certification requirements
Dispatches
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is proposing two standards for recognition by the American National Standards Institute, a clearing-house for information on standards and coordinates development of national consensus standards through voluntary action.
UL 263, Standard for Safety for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, covers the performance of walls, columns, floors, beams, and other building members under fire exposure conditions. The fire tests, which will be of controlled severity, will evaluate the length of time the building members will contain a fire and/or retain their structural integrity.
The second standard, UL 723, Standard for Safety for Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, covers the comparative burning characteristics of building materials. These characteristics will be determined by tests to evaluate the spread of flame over material surfaces and the density of the smoke developed.
Anyone interested in receiving copies of these two standards can contact Bill Bird, UL, 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062; (312) 272-8800, extension 2501.
UL also plans to develop a first edition of the Standard for Safety for Third Party Certification of Portable Fire Extinguishers, UL 1803. They would like to receive review and comment from all interested parties and organizations.
UL 1803 covers the basic elements of a third party certification program for carbon dioxide, dry chemical, foam, halogenated agent, and stored pressure water fire extinguishers.
Anyone interested in helping to develop these requirements should contact Jane Biccum at UL’s Northbrook office or phone (312) 2728800, extension 3346, and request to be put on the mailing list for UL 1803-NR.
