Underwriters Laboratories Expands Its Portfolio of Marks for Fire Alarm, Fire Detection & Fire Resistance Products

New combined UL Mark & new pan-European UL-EU Mark provide greater global market access for products covered under the Construction Products Directive (CPD)

NORTHBROOK, Illinois, December 20, 2010 - Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in safety testing and
certification, announced today an expansion of its portfolio of Marks aimed
at manufacturers of fire alarm, fire detection and fire resistance products
interested in selling their products in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other
applicable markets.

The combined UL Mark for Europe, Canada and the U.S. is the first
transcontinental Mark in UL's portfolio of market-leading certification marks
now available for fire alarm, fire detection and fire resistance
manufacturers. The Mark demonstrates product compliance with applicable
European standards as well as applicable requirements for Canada and the U.S.
Manufacturers now have the opportunity to earn a combined Mark with one
product submittal, enabling them to reduce critical time-to-market and
compliance costs by combining global testing and certification efforts with
one organization at one time.

(Photo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101220/CG18404-a)

For manufacturers that require European market access, UL has introduced
the new UL-EU Mark, a pan-European certification mark. The UL-EU Mark is part
of UL's global market strategy to help manufacturers get safe products to
market quickly. UL' s efforts are a response to industry desire to reduce the
number of certification marks on their products, and the need for a strong
global brand behind the marks associated with their products. The UL-EU Mark
on a product means that samples of the product have been tested to applicable
European safety standards. Trust in a manufacturer's safety claim is key, and
going the extra step to earn a voluntary safety mark to accompany the CE
marking demonstrates a manufacturer's commitment to safety.

(Photo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101220/CG18404-b)

"The global marketplace moves rapidly. There has never been a greater
need than now in the marketplace for a well-recognized and valued Mark that
can provide confidence in the safety of the products being sold," said Chris
Hasbrook, UL global vice president, Building Materials, Life Safety &
Security Industries. "UL is internationally known for safety and integrity,
thanks to a long history of technical expertise, standards development,
commitment to research and its strong global network of safety experts."

Consumers, retailers, code authorities, architects, insurers and fire
brigades worldwide rely on UL's Marks to provide confidence in product
compliance to applicable safety standards regionally, and can now have that
same confidence of a product's compliance to European standards as well.

Manufacturers utilizing one of these two UL Marks will see immediate
benefits. Primary benefits include: having only one product submittal and one
team of UL testing experts to accommodate their testing requests; strong
market recognition; reduced number of certification marks appearing on
products; and a greater public confidence in the safety of products supplied
to the market.

For additional information on these UL Marks, visit the UL-EU Mark web
page at www.ul.com.

About Underwriters Laboratories

UL is an independent product safety certification organization that has
been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for more than a
century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components,
materials and systems from more than 66,000 manufacturers each year. In
total, there are more than 20 billion UL Marks appearing on products
worldwide. UL's global family of companies and network of service providers
includes 68 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving
customers in 102 countries. For more information, visit:
www.ul.com/newsroom.

Joe Hirschmugl of Underwriters Laboratories, +1-847-664-1508, joseph.f.hirschmugl at us.ul.com; or Michael Savoni of GolinHarris, +1-312-729-4050, msavoni at golinharris.com, for UL