The Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) symbol is recognized around the world over as a symbol of safety. Each year, UL customers proudly display the symbol to demonstrate they have gone that extra step to have their product certified by UL. If the evaluation is successful, manufacturers open up their factory for periodic unannounced inspections by representatives of UL who audit production to determine the manufacturer's continued compliance with UL's requirements. For more than a century, the UL symbol remained substantially unchanged. On Dec. 15, 1997, UL announced a change to make the symbol more prominent on products, packaging and promotional material. The change involved making the weight of all key elements of the UL symbol the same. Manufacturers were given 10 years to transition to the new bolder symbol. The new bolder symbol is required to be used on products, packaging and literature by Jan. 1, 2008. The bolder symbols for both Listed and Classified products may be downloaded from UL's Web site. Also available on this site is a description of the proper proportions of the various elements of the UL symbol.