Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Can OSHA approve my new product?

Answer: OSHA does not endorse commercial products. While OSHA does not approve or endorse products, there are a small number of products which if used in a workplace do require approval before being acceptable to OSHA. Products which use electric energy, liquid petroleum gas, and fire suppression equipment, to name a few, must be "acceptable" to OSHA. This generally means that the product must be tested and certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). An NRTL is a private-sector organization that OSHA has recognized as meeting the legal requirements in 29 CFR 1910.7 to perform testing and certification of products using consensus based test standards. See the complete list of products requiring NRTL approval. Products that require testing and certification by an NRTL can be submitted directly to the NRTL for testing.