Why ALI / ETL Certification Is Important in a Car Lift for Sale

Would you ever take a prescription drug that wasn’t FDA approved? If you were in your right mind I don’t think you would do that. And the same goes for buying a car lift for sale that wasn’t ALI /ETL certified. The automotive lift is probably one of the investments that will be mostly used in a repair shop, and for an item that receives so much wear and tear, one can’t afford to skim a few bucks in a lift that wasn’t certified by the appropriate organizations.

The car lift usually lifts cars that weight anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds several times a day and a shop owner has to think about the safety of his employees. One simply cannot trust a car lift that hasn’t been certified by the ALI /ETL just by looking at it and examining to see if that is the strong car lift.

First of all, the ALI mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service and use of the car lifts in North America. As I said in the first paragraph, this is the FDA for car lifts in America, and just as you would never harm your body taking an untested prescription drug, you should never put yourself or your employees in harm’s way by buying a car lift that has not been tested and approved.

Now, the ALI partners with Intertek Testing Services (ETL), which is a global testing and research organization that is recognized in the United States by the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL’s) for products classified as garage equipment. This means that two separate entities being the ALI and ETL congregate as independent organizations to test the lift that you will be using to bring you the safest and most reliable car lift that you can buy.

Only lift manufactures that have been certified by this third party organizations can wear the controlled label in the selected products and sell it. However, it’s not just as easy as being tested once and calling it a day. These organizations periodically check on the quality of the lifts to bring you the safety that the shop deserves.

Do not be misled by other entities that claim to have valid safety certifications. The only rightful certifications that a lift must have is a certification from the ALI, so please beware of manufacturers that claim that their lift is certified by a certain non sanctioned organizations.

Even though certification from the ALI is completely voluntary, most states have adopted this mandatory provision for all commercial lifts, and some even go to the extent of fining or shutting a repair shop that doesn’t have these certifications in the car lifts that they buy.

So please make sure to check for an ALI / ETL label when purchasing a car lift for sale. It will not only give you peace of mind that you and your employees will be safe when lifting a car, but it will also save you money because you know you will have a product that can last you a lifetime regardless of the wear and tear.