Construction and Fire Safety

Technologies for building

Leverage our global safety science expertise and testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services to achieve and demonstrate safety, quality, reliability and compliance with regulatory and environmental regulations.

Local marks

S Mark Certification Services in Argentina

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mining of Argentina established through its Resolution 896/1999 the essential safety requirements that personal protection equipment (PPE) must meet for their commercialization in the country. The objective of this Resolution is to safeguard the safety of workers of any process, product or service, in the use of equipment, means and PPE conducive to reducing occupational accidents, under normal and foreseeable conditions of use.

The product categories detailed below are within the mandatory certification regime and can be certified according to the batch or mark of conformity system:

• Security shoes
• Protection of the upper extremities: sleeves and gloves.
• Eye protection
• Hearing protection
• Helmets
• Protection against falls from a height
• Protective clothing against electric arc
• Protective clothing for firefighters
• Protective clothing against entrapment
• Blankets

Voluntary Certification Services in Brazil 

• Fire and panic safety signs
• Fire door for emergency exit
• Wooden Fire doors and seals
• Panic bar exit device
• Interior partition walls without structural function
• Safe storage units – safe rooms and hardware safes
• Automatic shower for fire protection – sprinklers
• Fire-resistant rolling steel doors
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes and fittings – infrastructure and building
• Fire Alarm and Detection Systems
• Low expansion liquid foam generator (LFG) for firefighting in liquid fuels
• Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) tubes for fire protection sprinklers systems
• Emergency Lighting

*Expertise in several voluntary certification schemes specifically developed for each need presented by the market, using our Brand as a synonym for credibility and trust.

INMETRO Certification Services in Brazil

• Fire extinguishing powder
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) components for falls protection with level difference – Safety belt, fall arrest device and safety lanyard
• Firefighting hoses

Product certifications based on Official Mexican Standards and Mexican Standards

In Mexico, conformity assessment is both mandatory and voluntary according to specific scenarios. It is mandatory when an Official Mexican Standard (NOM) applies to the product to be evaluated. It is voluntary when a Mexican Standard (NMX) applies. UL is an independent organization approved according to current Mexican legislation to carry out any of these certifications. In the fire protection industry, there are some Official Mexican Standards, particularly for those elements or devices that operate with electrical energy. There are also Official Mexican Standards that govern wireless communication between these devices. These standards are:

• NOM-001-SCFI Electronic Devices-Safety requirements and test methods.
• NOM-003-SCFI Electrical Products-Safety Specifications.
• NOM-019-SCFI Security of data processing equipment
• NOM-218-SCFI Digital interface to public networks (digital interface at 2 048 KBIT / S and at 34 368 KBIT / S).

Our services range from determining the safety standard applicable to the product to the Verification process. Certificates and/or opinions are issued under the certification modality or scheme applicable to each standard.

Building products and systems

You can rely on UL’s safety science leadership to help solve your safety, quality assurance and compliance challenges. Our comprehensive inspection, validation and certification services for the building and construction products industry help you bring products and systems to market quickly and cost-effectively.

• Fire resistive products
• Panels, boards and sheeting
• Structural steel protection
• Above ground pipes and fittings
• Extinguishers and components
• Extinguishing agents
• Extinguishing systems
• Firefighting equipment
• Foam liquid concentrates
• Foam equipment
• Pumps
• Valves
• Dampers, doors and windows
• Air ducts and connectors
• Closure systems
• Building envelope products
• Building products
• Concrete and masonry
• Decking and structural components

Fire and life safety building inspections

It is important for buildings to be safe and to operate efficiently. That is no easy task. It takes a thorough understanding of complex issues, including regional code requirements, hidden maintenance needs and emergency response tactics.

We have the expertise to assist you in optimizing the compliance of your building’s life safety systems to international code requirements. Our building inspections help identify building compliance gaps and guide improvements for proper operation of your fire, life safety and security systems.

Fire alarm control equipment testing

Whether it’s a home, business or place of assembly, fire alarm control technologies are ever-present to alert you in the event of a fire. We have been there every step of the way through our pioneering research, developing globally recognized standards and evaluating this technology to help ensure it performs and is reliable and interoperable.

Our training, advisory, testing, Verification, inspection and certification services for fire alarm control equipment helps manufacturers get compliant products to the market quickly. Integrators and engineers help manufacturers mitigate their risks and serve their clients, end users and asset owners by helping to ensure that they are providing the appropriate standards of care and safety. Our testing verifies that regulatory authorities have validated compliance with codes.

Building Envelope

We understand the science behind the building envelope. Our testing services help ensure that the performance of building envelope products, systems and structures meet regulatory demands and protect brand value. Our offerings include:

• Building Envelope Testing and Certification
• Building Forensic Services
• Building Envelope Assessments
• Building Envelope Commissioning Services and Certification
• Building Envelope Component and Systems Testing
• Building Envelope Performance Mock-Up Testing
• Building Envelope Products Field Testing

How we can help you

As a trusted leader in fire safety testing, our testing, inspection and certification services offer several advantages. We have the resources and knowledge to serve as your single-source provider for research, testing, life safety and security products, as well as in-depth knowledge of local, national and international codes and regulations. Working with one team, in one place, means that we’ll get your equipment certified in the most efficient way possible – saving you time and money during the process.