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Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which tests and approves sign components for safety, has announced it is eliminating all variation notice (VN) fees related to its electric sign certification program.
When sign products do not comply with UL’s followup service procedures, applicable standards or other requirements, the not-for-profit organization’s field representatives issue VNs to document the non-conformance. The VN thus serves as a channel of communication between UL and manufacturers by creating a record of when product issues have been discovered.
Prior to the new announcement, a VN was accompanied in most circumstances by a fee of $580. The elimination of this fee follows discussions between UL and a sign-industry business panel chaired by Rich Gottwald, executive vice-president (EVP) of the International Sign Association (ISA). The panel represents sign and component manufacturers.
“We celebrate the VN fee elimination, which supports a collaborative relationship between the sign industry and UL,” says Gottwald. “It is important, however, for manufacturers to address not only product non-conformance, but also any underlying process or system issue that may have led to that non-conformance, ensuring they deliver products users can rely on.”
