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Federal Registers
Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Applications for Expansion of Recognition - 68:586-588 |
Federal Registers - Table of Contents |
| • Publication Date: | 01/06/2003 |
| • Publication Type: | Notice |
| • Fed Register #: | 68:586-588 |
| • Standard Number: | 1910.7 |
| • Title: | Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Applications for Expansion of Recognition |
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration [Docket Nos. NRTL4-93] Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Applications for Expansion of Recognition AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces the applications by Underwriters Laboratories 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 these applications. 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 January 21, 2003. Hand delivery and messenger service: Your comments must be received in the OSHA Docket Office by January 21, 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 January 21, 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 NRTL4-93, 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 NRTL4-93, 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: Bernard Pasquet, 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 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) has applied for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). UL's expansion requests cover the use of three additional sites. OSHA's current scope of recognition for UL may be found in the following informational Web page: http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ul.html. OSHA recognition of an NRTL signifies that the organization has met the legal requirements in Section 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, employers may use products "properly certified" by the NRTL to meet OSHA standards that require testing and certification. The Agency processes applications by an NRTL 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 the application. These notices set forth the NRTL's scope of recognition or modifications of that 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 notices published by OSHA for UL's recognition covered a renewal and expansion of recognition, which became effective on May 8, 2002 (67 FR 30966). The current address of the UL facilities (sites) already recognized by OSHA are: Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, Illinois 60062 Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 1285 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, Long Island, New York 11747 Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 1655 Scott Boulevard, Santa Clara, California 95050 Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 12 Laboratory Drive, P.O. Box 13995, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 2600 N.W. Lake Road, Camas, Washington 98607 UL International Limited, Veristrong Industrial Centre, Block B, 14th Floor, 34 Au Pui Wan Street, Fo Tan Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong UL International Services, Ltd., Taiwan Branch, 4th Floor, 260 Da-Yeh Road, Pei Tou District Taipei City, Taiwan UL International Demko A/S, Lyskaer 8, P.O. Box 514, DK-2730, Herlev, Denmark Underwriters Laboratory International (U.K.) Ltd., Wonersh House, The Guildway, Old Portsmouth RoadGuildford, Surrey GU3 1LR, United Kingdom Underwriters Laboratory International Italia S.r.l., Via Archimede 42, 1-20041 Agrate Brianza, Milan, Italy Testing facility: Z.I. Predda Niedda st. 18, I-07100, Sassari, Italy Underwriters Laboratories of Canada, 7 Crouse Road, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada MIR 3A9 UL Japan Co., Ltd., Shimbashi Ekimae Bldg. -- 1 Gohkan, 4th floor, Room 402, 2-20-15 Shimbashi Minato Ku, Tokyo 105-0004, Japan The current addresses of the three additional UL sites covered by the expansion requests are: UL Korea, Ltd., 805, Manhattan Building 36-2, Yeoui-dong, Yeoungdeungpo-gu, Seoul 150-010, Korea UL International Germany GmbH, Frankfurter Strasse 229, D-63263 Neu-Isenburg, Germany UL International (Netherlands) B.V., Landjuweel 52, NL-3905 PH Veenendaal, Netherlands General Background on the Applications UL has submitted an application, dated November 8, 2001 (see Exhibit 27), to expand its recognition to include a site in Seoul, Korea, and another application, dated March 15, 2002 (see Exhibit 27- 1), to expand its recognition to include a site in Neu-Isenburg, Germany, and a site in Veenendaal, Netherlands. The applications contain information demonstrating that there are adequate procedures, equipment, and personnel to perform product safety testing and certification activities at the sites. Those procedures are in general use throughout UL operations. Also, the application information shows that all three sites are wholly-owned and operated by UL. The NRTL Program staff performed an on-site review (assessment) of the Korea facility on March 11-14, 2002. In the on-site review report, dated May 23, 2002 (see Exhibit 28), the program staff recommended a "positive finding," which means a positive recommendation on the recognition to the Assistant Secretary. However, the Agency delayed consideration of the application in order to combine it for processing purposes with the application that had by then been received for the two additional sites listed above. The NRTL Program staff performed an on-site review (assessment) of the Netherlands facility on June 11-14, 2002, and an on-site review (assessment) of the Germany facility on June 18-21, 2002. In each on-site review report, dated September 27 and 30, 2002 (see Exhibits 28 and 28-1), respectively, the program staff recommended a "positive finding." OSHA's recognition of the additional sites would not be limited to any particular test standards. However, recognition of these sites would be limited to performing product testing only to the test standards for which each site has the proper capability and programs, and for which OSHA has recognized UL. This treatment is consistent with the recognition that OSHA has granted to other NRTLs that operate multiple sites. In addition, OSHA would permit the sites to use all eight of the "supplemental" programs, although not all programs would necessarily be used in the near future. UL's scope of recognition already includes these programs. OSHA has described the "supplemental" programs referred to above in a March 9, 1995, Federal Register notice (60 FR 12980, 3/9/95). This notice described nine (9) programs and procedures (collectively, programs), eight of which (the "supplemental programs") any NRTL may use to control, audit, and accept the data relied upon for product certification. Such data is not normally generated at the NRTL's facility or by NRTL personnel. The notice also includes the criteria for the use by the NRTL of these eight, or supplemental, programs. Any NRTL's initial recognition will always include the first or basic program, which provides that all product testing and evaluation be performed in-house by the NRTL that will certify the product. OSHA does not consider these programs in determining whether any NRTL meets the requirements for recognition under 29 CFR 1910.7. However, these programs help to define the scope of that recognition. Preliminary Finding UL has submitted acceptable applications for expansion of its recognition as an NRTL. As noted above, in processing these requests, OSHA has performed on-site reviews of the proposed additional three UL facilities. UL has addressed any discrepancies noted by the assessor following the reviews, and the assessor has included the resolution in the on-site review reports. Following a review of the application files, the on-site review reports, and other pertinent information, the NRTL Program staff has concluded that OSHA can grant to UL the expansion of its recognition to include the Seoul, Korea, the Neu-Isenburg, Germany, and the Veenendaal, Netherlands, sites listed above. The staff therefore recommended to the Assistant Secretary that the applications be preliminarily approved. Based upon the recommendation of the staff, the Assistant Secretary has made a preliminary finding that Underwriters Laboratories Inc. can meet the requirements as prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its recognition. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of the applications for UL. OSHA welcomes public comments, in sufficient detail, as to whether UL has met the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. Your comment 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 UL'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. NRTL4-93 contains all materials in the record concerning UL's applications. The NRTL Program staff will review all timely comments and, after resolution of issues raised by these comments, will recommend whether to grant UL's expansion requests. The Assistant Secretary 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 Section 1910.7. OSHA will publish a public notice of this final decision in the Federal Register. Signed at Washington, DC this 11th day of December, 2002. John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 03-121 Filed 1-3-03; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510-26-P |
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