68 FR 42 pgs. 10269-10272 - TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.; Application for Expansion of Recognition
Type: NOTICEVolume: 68Number: 42Pages: 10269 - 10272
Docket number: [Docket No. NRTL3-92]
FR document: [FR Doc. 03-5051 Filed 3-3-03; 8:45 am]
Agency: Labor Department
Sub Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. NRTL3-92]
TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.; Application for Expansion of Recognition
AGENCY:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
This notice announces the application of TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory under 29 CFR 1910.7, and presents the Agency's preliminary finding. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of the application.
DATES:
You may submit comments in response to this notice, or any request for extension of the time to comment, by (1) regular mail, (2) express or overnight delivery service, (3) hand delivery, (4) messenger service, or (5) FAX transmission (facsimile). Because of security-related problems there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments by regular mail. Comments (or any request for extension of the time to comment) must be submitted by the following dates:
Regular mail and express delivery service: Your comments must be postmarked by March 19, 2003.
Hand delivery and messenger service: Your comments must be received in the OSHA Docket Office by March 19, 2003. OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be sent by March 19, 2003.
ADDRESSES:
Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger service: You must submit three copies of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket NRTL3-92, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 for information about security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery, hand delivery and messenger service.
Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-1648. You must include the docket number of this notice, Docket NRTL3-92, in your comments.
Internet access to comments and submissions: OSHA will place comments and submissions in response to this notice on the OSHA Webpage http://www.osha.gov. Accordingly, OSHA cautions you about submitting information of a personal nature ( e.g. , social security number, date of birth). There may be a lag time between when comments and submissions are received and when they are placed on the Webpage. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 for information about materials not available through the OSHA Webpage and for assistance in using the Webpage to locate docket submissions. Comments and submissions will also be available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above.
Extension of Comment Period: Submit requests for extensions concerning this notice to: Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, NRTL Program, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N3653, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, or fax to (202) 693-1644.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sherry Nicolas, Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, NRTL Program, Room N3653 at the address shown immediately above for the program, or phone (202) 693-2110.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Notice of Application
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hereby gives notice that TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. (TUV), has applied for expansion of its current recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). TUV's expansion request covers the use of additional test standards. OSHA's current scope of recognition for TUV may be found in the following informational web page: http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/tuv.html.
OSHA recognition of an NRTL signifies that the organization has met the legal requirements in § 1910.7 of Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR 1910.7). Recognition is an acknowledgment that the organization can perform independent safety testing and certification of the specific products covered within its scope of recognition and is not a delegation or grant of government authority. As a result of recognition, OSHA can accept products "properly certified" by the NRTL.
The Agency processes applications for initial recognition or for 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 its preliminary finding and, in the second notice, the Agency provides its final decision on an application. These notices set forth the NRTL's scope of recognition or modifications of this scope. We maintain an informational web page for each NRTL, which details its scope of recognition. These pages can be accessed from our Web site at http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html.
The most recent notice published by OSHA for TUV's recognition covered a renewal of recognition, which became effective on March 18, 2002 (67 FR 12051).
The current address of the testing facility (site) that OSHA recognizes for TUV is: TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., 12 Commerce Road, Newtown, Connecticut 06470.
General Background on the Application
TUV has submitted a request, dated October 16, 2001 (see Exhibit 28), to expand its recognition to use 132 additional test standards. The NRTL Program staff has determined that 17 of the 132 standards cannot be included in the expansion because they are not "appropriate test standards," within the meaning of 29 CFR 1910.7(c). The staff makes such determinations in processing expansion requests from any NRTL. Therefore, OSHA would include 115 standards in the expansion, as listed below. OSHA performed an on-site review of the NRTL in June 2002 and recommended the expansion in a memo dated October 17, 2002 ( see Exhibit 29).
The NRTL Program staff found that a few of the standards requested by TUV have been withdrawn or replaced by the standards developing organization. Under OSHA policy, we can no longer recognize the NRTL for such test standards but the NRTL may request or OSHA can provide recognition for comparable test standards, i.e. , other appropriate test standards covering similar types of product testing. The appropriate deletions and substitutions are reflected in the listing below.
ANSI A17.5Elevators and Escalator Electrical Equipment
ANSI A90.1Safety Standard for Belt Manlifts
ANSI C12.1Code for Electricity Meters
ANSI C37.21Control Switchboards
ANSI Z8.1Commercial Laundry and Dry-cleaning Equipment and Operations
ANSI/NFPA 72Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Protective Signaling Systems
UL 44Rubber-Insulated Wires and Cables Thermoset-Insulated Wires and Cables
UL 45Portable Electric Tools
UL 50Enclosures for Electrical Equipment
UL 62Flexible Cord and Fixture Wire
UL 65Wired Cabinets
UL 69Electric-Fence Controllers
UL 83Thermoplastic-Insulated Wires and Cables
UL 150Antenna Rotators
UL 187X-Ray Equipment
UL 201Garage Equipment
UL 224Extruded Insulating Tubing
UL 231Power Outlets
UL 234Low Voltage Lighting Fixtures for Use in Recreational Vehicles
UL 244ASolid-State Controls for Appliances
UL 291Automated Teller Systems
UL 294Access Control System Units
UL 325Door, Drapery, Gate, Louver, and Window Operators and Systems
UL 347High-Voltage Industrial Control Equipment
UL 416Refrigerated Medical Equipment
UL 427Refrigerating Units
UL 429Electrically Operated Valves
UL 444Communications Cables
UL 466Electric Scales
UL 467Electrical Grounding and Bonding Equipment
UL 484Room Air Conditioners
UL 496Edison Base Lampholders
UL 498Attachment Plugs and Receptacles
UL 508AIndustrial Control Panels
UL 542Lampholders, Starters, and Starter Holders for Fluorescent Lamps
UL 551Transformer-Type Arc-Welding Machines
UL 563Ice Makers
UL 574Electric Oil Heaters
UL 588Christmas-Tree and Decorative-Lighting Outfits
UL 603Power Supplies for Use with Burglar-Alarm Systems
UL 606Linings and Screens for Use with Burglar-Alarm Systems
UL 609Local Burglar-Alarm Units and Systems
UL 632Electrically Actuated Transmitters
UL 634Connectors and Switches for Use with Burglar-Alarm Systems
UL 636Holdup Alarm Units and Systems
UL 639Intrusion-Detection Units
UL 664Commercial Dry-Cleaning Machines (Type IV)
UL 676Underwater Lighting Fixtures
UL 681Installation and Classification of Burglar and Holdup Alarm Systems
UL 756Coin and Currency Changers and Actuators
UL 773Plug-In Locking-Type Photocontrols for Use With Area Lighting
UL 773ANonindustrial Photoelectric Switches for Lighting Control
UL 813Commercial Audio Equipment
UL 817Cord Sets and Power-Supply Cords
UL 827Central Station Alarm Services
UL 834Heating, Water Supply, and Power Boilers-Electric
UL 845Motor Control Centers
UL 869AStandard for Service Equipment
UL 884Underfloor Raceways and Fittings
UL 916Energy Management Equipment
UL 917Clock-Operated Switches
UL 924Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment
UL 983Surveillance Cameras Units
UL 998Humidifiers
UL 1008Transfer Switch Equipment
UL 1023Household Burglar-Alarm System Units
UL 1029High-Intensity Discharge Lamp Ballasts
UL 1030Sheathed Heater Elements
UL 1034Burglary Resistant Electric Locking Mechanisms
UL 1054Special-Use Switches
UL 1076Proprietary Burglar-Alarm Units and Systems
UL 1077Supplementary Protectors for Use in Electrical Equipment
UL 1086Household Trash Compactors
UL 1088Temporary Lighting Strings
UL 1090Electric Snow Movers
UL 1097Double Insulation Systems for Use in Electrical Equipment
UL 1206Electric Commercial Clothes-Washing Equipment
UL 1241Junction Boxes for Swimming Pool Lighting Fixtures
UL 1261Electric Water Heaters for Pools and Tubs
UL 1283Electromagnetic-Interference Filter
UL 1286Office Furnishings
UL 1414Across-the-Line, Antenna-Coupling, and Line-by-Pass Capacitors for Radio-Television-Type Appliances
UL 1433Control Centers for Changing Message Type Electric Signs
UL 1447Electric Lawn Mowers
UL 1448Electric Hedge Trimmers
UL 1450Motor Operated Air Compressors, Vacuum Pumps and PaintingEquipment
UL 1472Solid-State Dimming Controls
UL 1565 Positioning Devices
UL 1581Standard for Electrical Wires, Cables, and Flexible Cords
UL 1610Central-Station Burglar-Alarm Units
UL 1637Home Health Care Signaling Equipment
UL 1638Visual Signaling Appliances
UL 1740Industrial Robots and Robotic Equipment
UL 1778Uninterruptible Power Supply Equipment
UL 1951Electric Plumbing Accessories
UL 1993Self-Ballasted Lamps and Lamp Adapters
UL 1994 Low-Level Path Marking and Lighting Systems
UL 1996Duct Heaters
UL 2044 Commercial Closed Circuit Television Equipment
UL 2097Double Insulation Systems for Use in Electronic Equipment
UL 2106Field Erected Boiler Assemblies
UL 2111Overheating Protection for Motors
UL 3044Surveillance Closed Circuit Television Equipment
UL 60335-2-8Household and Similar Electric Appliances, Part 2; Particular Requirements for Electric Shavers, Hair Clippers and Similar Appliances
UL 60335-2-34Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2; Particular Requirements for Motor-Compressors
UL 60730-1Automatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 1: General Requirements
UL 60730-2-6Automatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Automatic Electrical Pressure Sensing Controls Including Mechanical Requirements
UL 60730-2-7Automatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Timers and Time Switches
UL 60730-2-10AAutomatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor Starting Relays
UL 60730-2-11AAutomatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Energy Regulators
UL 60730-2-12AAutomatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electrically Operated Door Locks
UL 60730-2-13AAutomatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Humidity Sensing Controls
UL 60730-2-14Automatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electric Actuators
UL 60730-2-16AAutomatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use; Part 2: Particular Requirements for Automatic Electrical Water Level Controls
UL 61058-1Switch for Appliances for Household and Similar Applications
The designations and titles of the above test standards were current at the time of the preparation of this notice.
OSHA's recognition of TUV, or any NRTL, for a particular test standard is limited to equipment or materials ( i.e. , products) for which OSHA standards require third party testing and certification before use in the workplace. Consequently, an NRTL's scope of recognition excludes any product(s) that fall within the scope of a test standard, but for which OSHA standards do not require NRTL testing and certification.
Many of the UL test standards listed above also are approved as American National Standards by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). However, for convenience, we use the designation of the standards developing organization ( e.g. , UL 1008) for the standard, as opposed to the ANSI designation ( e.g. , ANSI/UL 1008). Under our procedures, any NRTL recognized for an ANSI-approved test standard may use either the latest proprietary version of the test standard or the latest ANSI version of that standard. Contact "NSSN" ( http://www.nssn.org ), an organization partially sponsored by ANSI, to find out whether or not a test standard is currently ANSI-approved.
Existing Condition
Currently, OSHA imposes the following condition on its recognition of TUV. This condition would apply also to the recognition of the additional test standards and applies solely to TUV's NRTL operations. It is in addition to any other condition that OSHA normally imposes in its recognition of an organization as an NRTL.
TUV must have specific written testing procedures in place before testing products covered by any test standard for which it is recognized and must use these procedures in testing and certifying those products.
Preliminary Finding on the Application
TUV has submitted an acceptable request for expansion of its recognition as an NRTL. As mentioned, in connection with this request, OSHA has performed an on-site review of TUV's NRTL testing facility. The NRTL has resolved any discrepancies noted by the assessor following the review, and the assessor factored such resolution into the memo on the recommendation ( see Exhibit 29).
Following a review of the application file, the assessor's recommendation, and other pertinent documents, the NRTL Program staff has concluded that OSHA can grant to TUV the expansion of recognition as an NRTL to use the additional test standards listed above, subject to the conditions as noted. The staff, therefore, recommended to the Assistant Secretary that the application be preliminarily approved.
Based upon the recommendations of the staff, the Assistant Secretary has made a preliminary finding that the TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., can meet the requirements, as prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7, for the expansion of recognition, subject to the above conditions. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of the application.
OSHA welcomes public comments, in sufficient detail, as to whether TUV has met the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. Your comments should consist of pertinent written documents and exhibits. To consider a comment, OSHA must receive it at the address provided above ( see ADDRESSES ), no later than the last date for comments ( see DATES above). Should you need more time to comment, OSHA must receive your written request for extension at the address provided above no later than the last date for comments. You must include your reason(s) for any request for extension. OSHA will limit any extension to 30 days, unless the requester justifies a longer period. We may deny a request for extension if it is frivolous or otherwise unwarranted. You may obtain or review copies of TUV's requests, the on-site review reports, and all submitted comments, as received, by contacting the Docket Office, Room N2625, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, at the above address. Docket No. NRTL3-92 contains all materials in the record concerning TUV's application.
The NRTL Program staff will review all timely comments, and after resolution of issues raised by these comments, will recommend whether to grant TUV's expansion request. The Agency will make the final decision on granting the expansion, and in making this decision, may undertake other proceedings that are prescribed in appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7. OSHA will publish a public notice of this final decision in the Federal Register .
Signed at Washington, DC, this 25th day of February, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-5051 Filed 3-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P