[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 79 (Friday, April 25, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17467-17469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07126]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0025]
UL LLC: Applications for Expansion of Recognition and Proposed
Modification to the NRTL Program's List of Appropriate Test Standards
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA announces the applications of UL LLC for
expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized
Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding
to grant the applications. Additionally, OSHA proposes to add one
standard to the NRTL Program's List of Appropriate Test Standards.
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 May 12, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted as follows:
Electronically: You may submit comments, including attachments,
electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking
Portal. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency's name and
the docket number for this rulemaking (Docket No. 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. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about
submitting information they do not want made available to the public,
or submitting materials that contain personal information (either about
themselves or others), such as Social Security numbers and birthdates.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. 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 through the OSHA Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket
Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for assistance in
locating docket submissions.
Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of
the comment period on or before May 12, 2025 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) 693-1911 or email: robinson.kevin@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Notice of the Applications for Expansion
OSHA is providing notice that UL LLC (UL) is applying for expansion
of current recognition as a NRTL. UL requests the addition of one test
site and two 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 applications by a NRTL for initial
recognition, as well as for an expansion or renewal of 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 the 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 that 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 fifty-six facilities (sites) recognized by OSHA
for product testing and certification, with the headquarters located
at: UL LLC, 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 Applications
UL submitted three applications. The first application, dated
November 29, 2022 (OSHA-2009-0025-0069), requested expanded recognition
as a NRTL to include one additional test site located at: Phu Thai
Vietnam, Lot DH, Lai Vu Industrial Park. UL submitted a second
application, dated March 19, 2024 (OSHA-2009-0025-0070), requesting the
addition of one test standard to the NRTL scope of recognition. A third
application was submitted on November 15, 2024 (OSHA-2009-0025-0071),
requesting the addition of one test standard to the NRTL scope of
recognition. In total, the expansion applications requested the
addition of one test site and two test standards to the NRTL scope of
recognition. OSHA staff performed a review of UL's testing facility in
UL Vietnam on August 4-6, 2024, in which assessors found some
nonconformances with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7. UL has
addressed these issues sufficiently, and OSHA staff has preliminarily
determined that OSHA should grant the application.
Table 1, below, lists the test standards found in UL's applications
for expansion for testing and certification of products under the NRTL
Program.
Table 1--Proposed Test Standards for Inclusion in UL's NRTL Scope of
Recognition
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test standard Test standard title
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UL 60335-2-29............................. Household and Similar
Electrical Appliances--
Safety--Part 2-29:
Particular Requirements for
Battery Chargers.
UL 2056 *................................. Power Banks.
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* In this notice, OSHA also proposes to add this test standard to the
NRTL Program's List of Appropriate Test Standards.
III. Proposal To Add New Test Standard to the NRTL Program's List of
Appropriate Test Standards
Periodically, OSHA will propose to add new test standards to the
NRTL list of appropriate test standards following an evaluation of the
test standard document. To qualify as an appropriate test standard, the
agency evaluates the document to: (1) verify it represents a product
category for which OSHA requires certification by a NRTL; (2) verify
the document represents a product and not a component; and (3) verify
the document defines safety test specifications (not installation or
operational performance specifications). OSHA becomes aware of new test
standards through various avenues. For example, OSHA may become aware
of new test standards by: (1) monitoring notifications issued by
certain Standards Development Organizations; (2) reviewing applications
by NRTLs or applicants seeking recognition to include new test
standards in their scopes of recognition; and (3) obtaining
notification from manufacturers, manufacturing organizations,
government agencies, or other parties. OSHA may determine to include a
new test standard in the list, for example, if the test standard is for
a particular type of product that another test standard also covers or
it covers a type of product that no standard previously covered.
In this notice, OSHA proposes to add a new test standard to the
NRTL Program's list of appropriate test standards. Table 2, below,
lists the test standard that is new to the NRTL Program. OSHA
preliminarily determines that this test standard is an appropriate test
standard. OSHA seeks public comment on this preliminary determination.
Table 2--Standard OSHA Is Proposing To Add to the NRTL Program's List of
Appropriate Test Standards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test standard Test standard title
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UL 2056................................... Power Banks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Preliminary Finding on the Applications
UL submitted acceptable applications for expansion of its scope of
recognition. OSHA's review of the application files and pertinent
documentation preliminarily indicates that UL can meet the requirements
prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for expanding its recognition to include
one additional test site and two additional test standards for NRTL
testing and certification. This preliminary finding does not constitute
an interim or temporary approval of UL's applications.
OSHA seeks public comment on this preliminary determination.
IV. Public Participation
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 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. These materials also are generally available online at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. OSHA-2009-0025 (for further
information, see the ``Docket'' heading in the section of this notice
titled ADDRESSES).
OSHA staff will review all comments to the docket submitted in a
timely manner. After addressing the issues raised by these comments,
staff will make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary of Labor
for Occupational Safety and Health on whether to grant UL's
applications for expansion of the scope of recognition. The Assistant
Secretary will make the final decision on granting the applications. 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 the final decision in the
Federal Register.
IV. Authority and Signature
Amanda Wood Laihow, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20210, 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. 8-2020 (85 FR 58393; Sept. 18, 2020),
and 29 CFR 1910.7.
Signed at Washington, DC, on March 27, 2025.
Amanda Wood Laihow,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2025-07126 Filed 4-24-25; 8:45 am]
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