UL Council Member Guidelines
Supporting UL’s Mission
UL’s Engineering and Advisory Councils provide
valuable advice to support UL’s mission of public
safety, public health and protection of the environment. The men and women appointed to serve as
members of UL’s Councils are leaders in their professions, and their work has distinguished them as
being highly competent and knowledgeable in their
professional fields.
The purpose of UL’s Councils is to provide UL with
substantial expertise in the development and
maintenance of UL Standards for Safety, installation and use of UL Listed or Classified products,
and investigations of new and innovative products,
as well as management systems, international
business and other conformity assessment related
activities. The members of each council bring
years of sound engineering experience, practical
judgment, field experience and conformity assessment business expertise to UL, and are
selected from enforcement authorities, government
agencies, consumer groups, standards experts,
educators and other individuals and organizations
with special knowledge in their fields of expertise.
COUNCIL MEMBER SELECTION PROCESS
The process for the selection of new Members varies from Council-to-Council, but each Council
seeks to maintain a balance in the various areas of
interest in their corresponding field. Factors considered include a proposed new Member’s
background, years of experience and current role
in the given field.
TERM OF MEMBERSHIP
Council members are appointed to serve threeyear terms. The members of each Council shall be
divided into three classes, the classes to be as
nearly equal in number as possible. The term of
office of Council members of each class shall expire at the third succeeding Annual Meeting of UL’s
Corporate Members. Terms shall be every six
years for Councils that meet every other year.
UL does not endorse arbitrary term limits on Council Members’ service, nor does it believe in
Copyright © 2004
Rev. 4/12
automatic re-nomination until Council Members
reach the mandatory retirement age of 72. The
Councils’ self-evaluation process is an important
determinant for continuing service.
RE-APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
Each Council shall have a process for evaluating
whether the individuals sitting on the Council bring
the appropriate skills and expertise, and how effectively each member works with the Council.
Council Memberships should not be regarded as
permanent. Council Members should serve only
so long as they add value to the Council, and a
Council Member’s ability to continue to contribute
to the Council should be considered each time the
Council Member is considered for re-appointment.
A Council-appointed committee consisting of at
least six members representing an equal number
of Council Members and UL staff shall identify the
Council Members whose terms are expiring who
will be asked to serve another three-year term,
based on the results of the Council’s evaluation
process.
REMOVAL OF A MEMBER FROM A COUNCIL
A Council-appointed committee consisting of at
least six members representing an equal number
of Council Members and UL staff is responsible for
the review of all members of the Council, and
where necessary, taking action to remove a
Council Member, which requires the approval of
the Council Committee.
CHANGE IN COUNCIL MEMBER OCCUPATION
Council Members must notify their Council chair in
writing if there is a change in their employment,
field re-assignment, or if any real or perceived conflict of interest arises during the Council Member’s
term of service. In such cases, a Councilappointed committee, consisting of at least six
members representing an equal number of Council
Members and UL staff, shall determine whether
the member should remain on the Council.
COUNCIL MEMBER RETIREMENT
No Council Member is eligible to continue to serve
as a Council Member beyond the Annual Meeting
of UL’s Corporate Members following his or her
72nd birthday. In establishing this tenure policy for
Council Members, the Council may make exceptions to the policy as appropriate, in light of
particular facts or circumstances, based on recommendations by the Council-appointed
committee consisting of at least six members representing an equal number of Council Members
and UL staff.
COUNCIL MEMBER COMPENSATION
Council Members are not compensated for their
service as a Council Member. They are, however,
eligible to receive reimbursement for any travel expenses they incur in the course of attending
Council Meetings.
COUNCIL MEMBERS’ STANDARDS OF
CONDUCT
On occasion, UL also seeks advice from Council
Members in regard to the investigation of specific
proprietary products, prior to dissemination of
product Listings, Classification or Recognition.
The product information UL shares with Council
Members is proprietary to the submitter, and UL
takes every precaution not to disclose confidential
information to potential competitors.
It is extremely important for Council Members to
preserve the trust of UL subscribers in its ability to
keep their material confidential. Accordingly, UL
has established the following Standard of Conduct
to which it expects Council Member to subscribe:
As a UL Council Member, I will:
 Respect the trust associated with my appointment to the UL Council by serving its mission
of public safety, public health and protection of
the environment to the best of my ability.
 Utilize my technical and business knowledge
and set aside any private business, personal or
undisclosed special interest or motivation. In
the event I am presented with any conflicts of
interest, I will advise the Council chair and abstain from Council participation with respect to
that issue or related issues.
 Hold in strictest confidence any proprietary or
confidential information provided to the Council. That obligation will continue to be in effect
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at all times during and after completion of my
Council service.
Acknowledge that I am not a representative of
UL and will not act on behalf of UL or the UL
Council, except in any form of UL Council
meetings or as the UL Council shall otherwise
delegate.
Adhere to the UL Council Guidelines
Exercise good judgment to ensure my conduct
enhances the reputation of UL and the UL
Council on which I serve.
UL’S STANDARDS OF CONDUCT – WHAT
COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN EXPECT FROM UL
For more than a century, UL has provided industryleading technical expertise and quality service
while maintaining the highest legal and ethical
standards. This work ethic has earned UL the confidence of consumers, industries and safety
professionals worldwide.
Additionally, UL Council Members have the satisfaction of knowing their support serves the safety
community. UL owes a great debt of gratitude to
each Council Member for the time and thought that
they contribute to UL and to UL’s Mission of Public
Safety through participation as a member of a UL
Council. UL likewise owes a debt of gratitude to
the various organizations that support the Council
Member’s participation in Council activities, both at
the UL Council meetings and in various ways
throughout the year.
Membership on UL’s Councils provides a forum of
top-level experts in the safety community to learn
from each other, enhancing their expertise, and the
safety community as a whole.
Council members are invited each year (some
Councils every other year) to attend UL’s Annual
Meeting of its Corporate Members and their Council meetings held in conjunction with the Corporate
Members’ Annual Meeting.
In addition to the guidelines stated herein, each
Council may have its own, additional guidelines
specific to its Council Membership.
Revised: 2012-04-30
OVERVIEW OF UL’S VARIOUS COUNCILS
Here is a brief look at each of UL’s councils:
Security Council
(formerly named Burglary Protection Council)
Formed in 1921, members of the Security Council
are drawn from inland marine and property insurance industries, law enforcement, corporate
security, federal government and academia. They
advise UL on the performance, use and application
of security and property protection products.
Commercial Insurance Council
The purpose of the UL Commercial Insurance
Council will advise UL on a broad set of issues
shaping the Insurance Industry, including advising
UL on the products, systems, structures, and services that the Insurance Industry supports. The
Council will also review with UL potential and new
services that UL might provide that would potentially be of benefit to society.
Consumer Advisory Council
This council, established in 1967, is composed of
representatives of academia, insurance and government agencies, along with home economists,
public safety officials, retailers and individuals associated with consumer-oriented media. The
group advises UL on establishing levels of safety
for consumer products, user experiences and
product failures, and educating the general public
on the limitations and safe uses of specific consumer products.
Electrical Council
Advising UL on new services to support the inspection community, field experiences on product
failures, installation practices, field experiences
with UL-Listed products and materials, code requirements and UL requirements is this council’s
main responsibility. Authorities having jurisdiction
(AHJs), independent leaders, federal government
officials and insurance representatives comprise
the membership of this council, which was established in 1913.
UL Environment Council
This council advises UL Environment on issues
that shape the future of UL Environment's service
offerings, market position, program improvements
and enhancements, future courses of action and
emerging validation and certification needs in the
environmental services fields. Membership includes environmental and business leaders,
including individuals from business, not-for-profits,
government and universities.
Environmental and Public Health Council
Formed in 1995, the council advises UL on issues
that shape the future of UL’s Environmental and
Public Health Program (EPH) program, proposed
actions on EPH-related activities, program improvements, future courses of action and emerging
safety needs in the EPH fields. Membership includes environmental and public health leaders,
including EPH consultants and individuals from
government and universities.
Fire Council
Individuals representing academia, building officials, federal government agencies, fire service,
along with independent fire safety experts, consultants, insurance authorities, and other related
categories make up this council, which was formed
in 1913. The council advises UL on the establishment of safety performance requirements for fire
suppression equipment, fire resistance, building
designs, fire and smoke detector equipment and
building materials.
Follow-Up Services Council
Formed in 1976, the council provides expertise and
assistance to UL in appropriately maintaining its
current inspection and market surveillance programs and in the development of new follow-up
services, surveillance and inspection programs.
Individuals representing manufacturers, retailers,
professional societies, trade groups, distributors,
insurance, government and academia compose
the group.
Revised: 2012-04-30
Health Sciences Council
Formed in 2012, the council advises UL on
issues that shape the future of UL’s Health
Sciences Programs, proposed actions on
Health Science related activities, program improvements, future courses of action and
emerging safety needs in the Health Science
fields. The Council will also review with UL
potential and new services that UL might provide that would potentially be of benefit to
society. Membership includes individuals representing academia, federal government
agencies, professional societies, trade
groups, consultants, insurance, and other related categories.”
PERIODIC REVIEW OF UL COUNCIL MEMBER
GUIDELINES
These guidelines are reviewed by UL’s Councils at
least annually.
Revised: 2012-04-30