Phony UL Seals on Extension Cords

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Keep an eye out for these items in your own homes, those you visit on the Holidays and when you're performing Christmas Inspections...

By STEVE LIEBERMAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: December 23, 2007)

Spring Valley fire inspector Harry Oster was working when he checked out the extension cords sold at a local discount store.

Oster noticed the label with the UL certification of safety didn't look right. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, which inspects and tests electrical items to ensure they are safe before they are sold in stores across the world.

Oster learned that 6- to 15-foot-long extension cords made in China were being sold with counterfeit UL labels.

Oster, a Spring Valley volunteer firefighter, found similar extension cords being sold in Albany when he was on vacation.

A legitimate UL-certified product comes attached with a silver UL hologram with codes, and a white caution label.

The uncertified extension cords are far less expensive - sold for 60 cents to $1 at local "dollar stores" - but are far more dangerous, Oster said.

These extension cords have far less copper wiring than certified cords and cannot handle high levels of electricity - such as tree lights or heating appliances.

The cords feel like "wet spaghetti," as opposed to the more rigid cords with proper amounts of copper and stronger plastic liner, Oster said.

"They are a risk," Oster said of the thinly built extension cords with the phony UL assurances. "The consumer is getting shortchanged. People should avoid the bargain. The certified products cost a few dollars more but could save their lives if you use them properly."

The problem is nationwide, if not worldwide, according to Illinois-based Underwriters Laboratories.

The inspection company views the counterfeit labeling as criminal and a potential danger to the public. The company puts its certification mark on 20 billion products yearly and employs 6,000 people, with a staff of 10 dedicated to counterfeiting.

The company has a "zero tolerance policy" for counterfeit goods, and its anti-counterfeiting program aims to protect consumers from the hazards of counterfeit electrical products.

"We're very, very aggressive when it comes to counterfeiting," said John Drengenberg, an electrical engineer and the agency's manager of consumer affairs. "We consider them criminals. This is something that involves safety for people."

Drengenberg said he agreed with Oster's assessment that the extension cords - or any other products without UL testing - were likely to be unsafe.

"He's right on the mark," Drengenberg said.

Drengenberg said that much of the counterfeiting of UL labeling came from China and that, though rare, it had been around for years. He said many China-based companies produced legitimate UL-tested products.

Extension cords and other low-cost items are the likeliest products to have counterfeit UL marks, he said.

"You don't see it with flat-top televisions or sophisticated medical products," Drengenberg said.

UL works with U.S. customs and other law enforcement agencies on counterfeiting issues. The company also trains people to spot phony UL labels.

"We don't negotiate with counterfeiters," he said. "We tell U.S. customs to destroy the products. If they are returned, then they could end up in another country."

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Great job Inspector!

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Good to know, I am from the Albany area. I will take a look around.