It wasn't mandatory but this is one of the main reasons Underwriter's Laboratory was started. The market needed a certification to say "yes, this things does what it's says it does and in a safe manner".
My dad owned a retail store in the 1970s and he distinctly remember being told "Lots of retailers won't carry a brand/item unless it has the 'UL' sticker on it."
You can find many fake "UL certified" products on Amazon, with a counterfeit UL logo and all. I think the problem is companies like Amazon not being held liable for what they sell.
Sort of. UL and CE are certifications that declare a a product confirms to the standards defined by those groups. The main difference is that UL only focuses on product safety (i.e. Shock and mechanical hazards), while CE covers product safety plus environmental and health requirements.
UL is technically a global standard, but mostly used in USA/Canada. That's only two countries which already have laws governing what can and cannot be put in a consumer device.
I'm not as familiar with the history of CE, so I don't know why CE decided to cover environmental standards. But my speculation is that it's because CE covers ~30 countries with a larger range of laws.
It wasn't mandatory but this is one of the main reasons Underwriter's Laboratory was started. The market needed a certification to say "yes, this things does what it's says it does and in a safe manner".
My dad owned a retail store in the 1970s and he distinctly remember being told "Lots of retailers won't carry a brand/item unless it has the 'UL' sticker on it."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_(safety_organization)