Underwriters Laboratories and ICC Evaluation Service Announce New Dual Evaluation and Certification Program for Building Products

NORTHBROOK, Illinois, December 14 - Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the leading product safety testing
organization, and ICC Evaluation Service, Inc(R) (ICC-ES(R)), the United
States' leader in evaluating building products for compliance with code,
today announced a partnership that will provide the building materials
industry with a Dual Evaluation and Certification Program for building
products. Together, the highly regarded UL Mark and the trusted ICC-ES Mark
will demonstrate to tens of thousands of regulators, building officials,
architects and insurers that the building products and systems they inspect,
design and insure are compliant with appropriate codes and product safety
standards.

The Dual Evaluation and Certification Program simplifies the testing and
evaluation process for manufacturers. They now have an easier way of
conducting business. Through one point of contact for both UL and ICC-ES,
manufacturers can conduct testing to UL safety standards, show code
compliance via an ICC-ES Evaluation Report and get simultaneous postings of
compliant products in UL's Online Certifications Directory and Code
Correlation Database along with ICC-ES's online directory of evaluation
reports and e-Codes Premium.

"This partnership between UL and ICC-ES brings two industry leaders
together to create a one-stop-shop for building materials testing and
evaluation needs in the built environment," says Chris Hasbrook, vice
president and general manager, UL Global Building Materials and Life Safety &
Security Industries. "The Dual Evaluation and Certification Program will
provide manufacturers faster turnaround times and speed to market, while
giving their customers two more reasons to trust the quality, safety and
efficiency of their products."

In addition to streamlining testing processes, UL has enhanced the
usability of its product certification information. UL's Code Correlation
Database (www.ul.com/regulators/codelink) connects product certifications
directly with specific applicable model installation code sections to help
code authorities and other industry professionals find ICC-ES code-compliant
products. The ease of viewing code sections and manufacturer listings in one
location makes it the only database of its kind in the industry.

"ICC's 55,000 members now have access to the Dual Evaluation and
Certification Program that will help them in their code-compliance decisions
while saving time and money," said Mark Johnson, president, ICC-ES. "This is
just one of the many benefits of working with a trusted partner in safety
like UL, and we continue to look for new opportunities to expand this
partnership to better serve our customers and members."

In October, UL and ICC-ES announced their first dual listing partnership.
To provide code officials and construction professionals with a reliable
means to verify that Plumbing/Mechanical/Fuel Gas (PMG) products comply with
applicable codes and standards, they established a Dual PMG Listing Program.

ICC, the parent company of ICC-ES, publishes the International Codes,
which include the International Building (IBC), Fire (IFC) and Residential
(IRC) Codes. The IBC has been adopted in 50 states plus Washington DC, the
IRC in 48 states and the IFC in 42 states at either the state or local level.
Between them, ICC and ICC-ES have on staff a full range of building materials
product experts and professional engineers with product evaluation
experience.

UL has more than 100 years of building materials expertise and is the
North American leader in fire safety testing, certification and research. The
company is dedicated to working with architects, regulatory authorities,
manufacturers, insurers, building owners, retailers and other partners in the
building materials community to improve safety both at work and at home. For
more information about UL's expertise in Building Materials and Life Safety &
Security, visit the industries section on www.ul.com.

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety
certification organization that has been testing products and writing
Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types
of products, components, materials and systems, with 20 billion UL Marks
appearing on 72,000 manufacturers' products each year. UL's worldwide family
of companies and network of service providers includes 64 laboratory, testing
and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries. For more
information, visit: www.ul.com/newsroom.

About ICC Evaluation Service(R)

A nonprofit, public-benefit corporation, ICC-ES(R) is the United States'
leading evaluation service for innovative building materials, components and
systems. The ICC-ES(R) Evaluation Reports(R) and PMG(TM) Listing Program
provide evidence that products and systems meet requirements in codes and
standards. The ICC-ES(R) SAVE(TM) Program provides verification that products
have been independently verified as having the sustainable attributes claimed
by the manufacturer to develop and advance sustainable design and
construction. ICC-ES(R) is a subsidiary of the International Code Council(R).
For more information about ICC-ES(R), visit www.icc-es.org.

Chris Suttile of GolinHarris, +1-312-729-4224, csuttile at golinharris.com for UL; or Greg West of ICC-ES, +1-562-699-0543 x3267, gwest at icc-es.org