Safety Groups, UL And IBHS In Joint Effort
NU Online News Service, July 22, 11:40 a.m. EDT?Northbrook, Ill.-based Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and the Institute for Business & Home Safety in Tampa, Fla., said they have joined forces to promote public awareness about residential and commercial property safety issues.[@@]
The two groups signed an agreement yesterday to leverage their resources and expertise to encourage property loss prevention solutions to everyday risks through joint education, awareness and outreach activities.
One of the first projects the groups said they expect to undertake relates to reducing hail damage to homes and businesses, which costs more than a billion dollars each year.
The campaign would incorporate UL tests which rate the impact resistance of roofing materials, and IBHS engineering and field experience using construction methods and materials that better protect structures from the natural threats they face.
"This agreement sets the stage for important new work in the field of property loss prevention," said Dale Hammond, chairman of the IBHS board of directors and president and chief operating officer of Kemper Auto and Home, a Unitrin Company.
Mr. Hammond added, "Both IBHS and UL are focused on promoting safety and on reducing what is often unnecessary and expensive property damage. Where our existing efforts align?or where we see emerging needs to address?we will pool our resources accordingly."
"UL is excited to team up with IBHS," said Don Mader, executive vice president of Public Safety and External Affairs for UL. "Through this partnership, UL can further expand on its mission to deliver safety solutions into all aspects of public health, the environment and social systems through dedicated outreach, knowledge, expertise, capabilities and resources in a socially responsible manner."
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for more than 110 years.
UL's family of companies and its network of service providers include 60 laboratory, testing and certification facilities.
IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry. It engages in engineering, research and communications to fulfill its mission to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.
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