Current Technology Stays Ahead of UL® Standards

All New Surge Protection Devices Must Comply with New Criteria by Sept. 29

RICHMOND, VA – September 28, 2009 – Thomas & Betts is proud to announce that all Current Technology® surge protective devices have been evaluated and approved under the new UL® standards going into effect on September 29, 2009.

Customers can rest assured that the surge protection devices they buy under the Current Technology brand name fully comply with the UL1449 3rd Edition standards for safety. Not every manufacturer can offer that promise. Several had petitioned Underwriters Laboratories to delay the September 29 deadline, although UL has denied those requests. As a result those manufacturers will only be allowed to sell surge protective devices manufactured before the deadline until their products are proven to meet the new, more robust criteria.

“Thomas & Betts takes pride in leading the industry in technological innovation and safety standards,” said Chris Martin, product manager for the Power Solutions group at Thomas & Betts. “We invested significant time and money into meeting the new industry standards ahead of the UL deadline. You can always rely on Thomas & Betts to put the needs of our customers first, and that includes being on the forefront of the latest advances in industry standards.”

The 3rd edition of UL 1449, titled “Standard for Safety for Surge Protective Devices,” replaces the 2nd edition, titled “Standard for Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors” (TVSSs). It also covers TVSSs with surge arresters rated 600V or less, which are currently evaluated to ANSI/IEEE C62.11 or IEEE C62.1-1989, so that these products will be included under a single certification service.

Modern equipment requires electrical systems to be free of transient surge events. Everyday devices such as fax machines, printers, and elevators are common producers of electrical transients and noise, which can be destructive, disruptive, and cause degradation to mission-critical equipment, such as data centers. The new standards established by UL play an important role in assuring the proper performance and safety of surge protection devices.