Six in ten electrical contractors have significant concerns about counterfeit products, including circuit breakers that fail to trip when overloaded, extension cords that overheat and ground fault circuit interrupters that unsuccessful prevent burns and electric shocks.

But more than four in 10 of those contractors concede they may not recognize counterfeits when they see them—and may even have unwittingly installed them in the past year.

Now electrical contracting industry allies are joining forces in a new initiative designed to address the problem. The National Electrical Contractors Association, National Association of Electrical Distributors and National Electrical Manufacturers Association all endorse the joint Anti-Counterfeit Products Initiative.

Counterfeit electric products are a $130 billion industry in the US, electrical contracting industry organizations estimate. More than 90 percent to 99 percent of the bogus product is made in China, experts estimate. It includes almost every type of electrical product—from wiring, switches and lighting to pirated Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) labels—in commercial and residential buildings.

Counterfeiters use inferior materials and avoid key manufacturing steps to reduce the cost of their products. The shortcuts allow them to sell the products at prices no genuine brand manufacturer can match, but also create risks of fire, shock or explosion.

In the past few years, counterfeiters have been illegally attaching UL labels to questionable products. The testing lab, in response, created hard to duplicate holographic labels to thwart the piracy. In 1993, it added holograms to decorative lighting strings. It added them to more products in 1996. This year, UL created an even more sophisticated hologram that it intends to use on even more products.

“Everyone in the distribution chain—from manufacturer, broker, exporter, importer, distributor, retailer, even consumer—has a responsibility to do due diligence in the protection of their trademark and avoidance of purchasing of counterfeit products,” he said. “It requires tremendous increases in resources—both money and personnel–so much so that UL now has a dedicated department working full time on the issues,” said Robert Crane, lead enforcement manager, Anti-Counterfeiting Operations, UL, Chapel Hill, NC.

Industry leaders hope the Anti-Piracy initiative will reduce the number of counterfeit products and educate consumers about the potential liability and economic cost and the threat to public safety posed by counterfeit electrical products. The challenge for both contractors and consumers is recognizing counterfeit products.

Kevin Yates, vice president of Siemens Energy and Automation Inc.’s residential products division, suggests caution when buying products at very low price levels, purchasing from Internet sites known for distributing counterfeit products, and inconsistent or improperly marked products. “Contractors need to remember that installing counterfeit products could cost them their license, but it could cost their customer their home, or worse, their life,” he said.

Other tips:

• Buy from established vendors who purchase goods from legitimate distributors and genuine manufacturers.
• Check the warning label. It should be free of grammatical errors and match the information elsewhere on the package.
• Look for the name and contact information of the manufacturer. If this information is missing, consider purchasing electrical products elsewhere.
• Avoid no-name products.

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