Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.: Application for Expansion of Recognition

AGENCY:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., for expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the application.

DATES:

Submit comments, information, and documents in response to this notice, or requests for an extension of time to make a submission, on or before April 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments by any of the following methods:

Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments electronically at: https://www.regulations.gov,, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments.

Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-1648.

Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2009-0025, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3653, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ET.

Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA docket number (OSHA-2009-0025). All comments, including any personal information you provide, are placed in the public docket without change, and may be made available online at https://www.regulations.gov. For further information on submitting comments, see the “Public Participation” heading in the section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at the above address. All documents in the docket (including this Federal Register notice) are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download through the website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection at the OSHA Docket Office.

Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of the comment period on or before April 25, 2019 to the Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-3653, Washington, DC 20210, or by fax to (202) 693-1644.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Information regarding this notice is available from the following sources:

Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office of Communications, U.S. Department of Labor, telephone: (202) 693-1999; email: meilinger.francis2@dol.gov.

General and technical information: Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, Director, Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, phone: (202) 693-2110 or email: robinson.kevin@dol.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Notice of the Application for Expansion

OSHA is providing notice that Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., (UL) is applying to expand the current recognition as a NRTL. UL requests the addition of three test standards to the NRTL scope of recognition.

OSHA recognition of a NRTL signifies that the organization meets the requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.7. Recognition is an acknowledgment that the organization can perform independent safety testing and certification of the specific products covered within the scope of recognition. Each NRTL's scope of recognition includes (1) the type of products the NRTL may test, with each type specified by the applicable test standard; and (2) the recognized site(s) that has/have the technical capability to perform the product-testing and product-certification activities for test standards within the NRTL's scope. Recognition is not a delegation or grant of government authority; however, recognition enables employers to use products approved by the NRTL to meet OSHA standards that require product testing and certification.

The agency processes application by a NRTL for initial recognition and for an expansion or renewal of this recognition, following requirements in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7. This appendix requires that the agency publish two notices in the Federal Register in processing an application. In the first notice, OSHA announces the application and provides a preliminary finding. In the second notice, the agency provides the final decision on the application. These notices set forth the NRTL's scope of recognition or modifications of that scope. OSHA maintains an informational web page for each NRTL, including UL, which details the NRTL's scope of recognition. These pages are available from the OSHA website at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html. UL currently has fourteen facilities (sites) recognized by OSHA for product testing and certification, with headquarters located at: Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, Illinois 60062. A complete list of UL sites recognized by OSHA is available at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ul.html.

II. General Background on the Application

UL submitted an application, dated August 24, 2016, (OSHA-2009-0025-0024) to expand recognition to include three additional test standards. This application was revised on July 24, 2018 to note the titles of the standards requested in the original application (OSHA-2009-0025-0025). OSHA staff performed detailed analyses of the application packets and other pertinent information. OSHA did not perform any on-site reviews in relation to these application.

Table 1, below, lists the appropriate test standards found in UL's application for expansion for testing and certification of products under the NRTL Program.

III. Preliminary Findings on the Application

UL submitted an acceptable application for expansion of the scope of recognition. OSHA's review of the application files and related material indicate that UL can meet the requirements prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for expanding recognition to include the addition of these three test standards for NRTL testing and certification listed above. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of UL's application.

OSHA welcomes public comment as to whether UL meets the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of recognition as a NRTL. Comments should consist of pertinent written documents and exhibits. Commenters needing more time to comment must submit a request in writing, stating the reasons for the request by the due date for comments. OSHA will limit any extension to 10 days unless the requester justifies a longer time period. OSHA may deny a request for an extension if it is not adequately justified. To obtain or review copies of the exhibits identified in this notice, as well as comments submitted to the docket, contact the Docket Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in ADDRESSES. These materials also are available online at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. OSHA-2009-0025.

OSHA staff will review all comments to the docket submitted in a timely manner and after addressing the issues raised by these comments, make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health on whether to grant UL's application for expansion of its scope of recognition. The Assistant Secretary will make the final decision on granting the application. In making this decision, the Assistant Secretary may undertake other proceedings prescribed in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7.

OSHA will publish a public notice of this final decision in the Federal Register.

Authority and Signature

Loren Sweatt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, authorized the preparation of this notice. Accordingly, the Agency is issuing this notice pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 657(g)(2), Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912, Jan. 25, 2012), and 29 CFR 1910.7.