UL is short for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. UL-certified terminals are terminals that have passed UL safety tests. Some terminals have passed UL safety tests. UL is the most authoritative and largest private organization in the United States and the world engaged in safety testing and certification. It is an independent, non-profit professional organization dedicated to testing for public safety. It uses scientific testing methods to study and determine the potential and degree of harm to life and property from various materials, devices, products, equipment, and buildings; it establishes, compiles, and publishes relevant standards and information to help reduce and prevent loss of life and property; and it conducts factual research.
UL's founder, William Henry Merrill, established the Underwriters Electrical Bureau, the predecessor of the Electrical Bureau of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. On March 24, 1894, the Bureau conducted its first test on Mr. Shields' non-combustible insulating material. 1895: First Year Results UL had only three full-time employees, an annual budget of $3,000, and issued 75 reports to clients.
