Industry Task Force Applauds UL Action on Electrical Metallic Tubing from China
05/20/2010 - Members of the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports and its Customs Task Force are applauding recent efforts by Underwriters Laboratories to notify the public about unsafe Chinese electrical metallic tubing.
Members of the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports (CPTI) and its Customs Task Force are applauding recent efforts by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to notify the public about unsafe Chinese electrical metallic tubing (EMT).
UL issued public notice on May 13, 2010 that announced that they would prevent the UL Mark on Chinese EMT made by Guangdong Walsall Steel Pipe Industrial Co. Ltd. because they fail to protect against corrosion. The advisory also provided guidance on the product description and identifying the product, including specific labels.
UL stated that the determination that these products did not comply with U.S. or Canadian safety standards was based on conclusive research, and that the agency is continuing its investigation into other suppliers of non-domestic EMT.
“The domestic industry has worked closely with UL for more than 18 months to document these findings to ensure that any imported products meet the appropriate safety guidelines established for EMT products,” noted Bill Kerins, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Government Relations at the John Maneely Co. (Atlas and Wheatland Tube). “We are very pleased with these results,” added Kerins.
Electrical metallic tubing products are sold to electrical contractors and installers for residential and commercial construction. Product is manufactured to meet specific UL standards to ensure that products provide protection for conductors in fire and life safety applications. Any compromise to the coating can impact the integrity of the product’s corrosion resistance, which is another primary requirement for the product.
The CPTI Customs Task Force has continued to monitor import trends with a focus on alleged customs fraud and import safety issues. Electrical metallic tubing producers remain committed to ensuring that foreign products enter safely and the industry will continue to conduct field surveillance on Chinese products.
“Our task force is charged with ensuring that imports enter fairly and safely, and the recent UL announcement provides reassurance to U.S. EMT producers and the public that these standards are taken seriously” said Roger B. Schagrin, Executive Director and General Counsel of the CPTI.
The Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports (CPTI) has members in 29 states with over 25,000 employees nationwide. In the U.S., electrical metallic tubing is manufactured in California, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
