Dekens v. Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

**What Happened** This case involved a worker who died from asbestos exposure, likely from small appliances. The worker's family sued Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the company that tests and certifies product safety. They argued that UL should have tested these appliances for asbestos and warned about the dangers, and that UL's failure to do so contributed to the worker's death. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in favor of UL and dismissed the case. The judges found that UL never agreed or committed to test small appliances specifically for asbestos safety. Since UL didn't take on that responsibility in the first place, they couldn't be held legally responsible for failing to do it. The court said you can't be sued for not doing something you never promised to do. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling shows that safety testing companies like UL can only be held responsible for the specific types of testing they actually agree to perform. Workers cannot assume that because a product has a UL safety label, it has been tested for every possible hazard, including asbestos. This places more responsibility on workers and employers to research potential workplace dangers beyond standard safety certifications.