Holiday lights add cheer and a festive feeling to any home, but safety hazards like fire remain a persistent fear for many homeowners. Through standards and proper use, decorative holiday lights are safe. UL 588 Ed. 19-2015: Standard for Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Products provides requirements for decorative lighting strands, wreaths, light sculptures, and motorized displays, preventing fire, electric shock, and injury during normal use.
Why Do We Celebrate the Holiday Season with Lights?
Every holiday season, homeowners around the world adorn their homes with decorative lights. Many celebrate the holiday season with cheerful lights because they symbolize hope, warmth, and the promise of brighter days during the darkest time of year: winter.
The tradition of holiday lights can actually be traced to the ancient winter solstice celebration, where people gathered around fires or decorated with candles in order to illuminate their home during long winter nights, signifying a connection to the sun and a way to ward off winter’s gloom. Additionally, in many cultures, light also represents knowledge, goodness, and divine energy.
Now, festive lights are a common holiday decoration all over the world. Although they are joyful and eye-catching, they do pose a fire risk, and as such, safety standards like UL 588 Ed. 19-2015 are pertinent.
What Is UL 588 Ed. 19?
UL 588 Ed. 19-2015 covers cover temporary-use, seasonal decorative-lighting products and accessories with a maximum input voltage rating of 120 V to be used in accordance with the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70. The standard specifies that “temporary-use” is considered to be a period of installation and use not exceeding 90 days.
In addition, UL 588 Ed. 19-2015 covers factory-assembled parallel-connected string lights intended for year-round use as well as the following holiday lighting products:
- Factory-assembled seasonal lighting strings with push-in, midget-screw, or miniature-screw lampholders or non-replaceable lamps connected in series for across-the-line use or with candelabra- or intermediate-screw lampholders connected in parallel for direct-connection use.
- Factory-assembled seasonal decorative outfits (e.g., wreaths, stars, light sculptures, crosses, candles, or candle sets without lamp shades)
- Products in the shape of, or in resemblance to, Christmas trees with simulated branches and needles, products in the shape of, or in resemblance to, wreaths provided with simulated branches and needles, blow-molded figures or objects, animated figures, tree tops, controllers, tree stands, electric tree poles, and motorized decorative displays.
- Ornaments which are provided with an adapter for connection to a push-in lampholder and are intended to replace a push-in lamp in a series-connected decorative lighting string or decorative outfit.
UL 588 Ed. 19 String Light Requirements
UL 588 Ed. 19-2015 contains a supplement, Supplement SD – String Lights for All-Year Use, that covers factory-assembled parallel-connected string lights intended for year-round use with a maximum input voltage rating of 120 V. This includes string lights with candelabra-, intermediate-, or medium screw lampholders or nonreplaceable lamps connected in parallel for direct connection use. These requirements cover products that are portable and not permanently connected to a power source.
UL 588 Ed. 19-2015: Standard for Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Products is available through standards subscriptions on the ANSI Webstore.