[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68389-68391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31683]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. NRTL-4-93]


Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Expansion of Recognition

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the Agency's final decision on the 
application of Underwriters Laboratory Inc. (UL) for expansion of its 
recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) under 
29 CFR 1910.7.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This recognition becomes effective on December 7, 1999, 
and, unless modified in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.7, continues in 
effect while UL remains recognized by OSHA as an NRTL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernard Pasquet, Office of Technical 
Programs and Coordination Activities, NRTL Program, Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW,

[[Page 68390]]

Room N3653, Washington, DC 20210, or phone (202) 693-2110.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice of Final Decision

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hereby 
gives notice of the expansion of recognition of Underwriters 
Laboratories Inc. (UL) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory 
(NRTL). UL's expansion covers the use of additional sites. OSHA 
recognizes an organization as an NRTL and processes applications 
related to such recognitions following requirements in Section 1910.7 
of Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR 1910.7). Appendix A to 
this section requires that OSHA publish this public notice of its final 
decision on an application.
    UL submitted a request, dated March 4, 1998 (see Exhibit 19A), to 
expand its recognition as an NRTL to include three sites in Europe. UL 
then submitted supporting information concerning its request (see 
Exhibits 19B-D) and requested the use of all the ``supplemental'' 
programs at each of the 3 sites (see Exhibit 19E). The supporting 
information that UL has submitted for these additional sites provides a 
general description of UL operations and, as such, also applies to the 
sites already recognized by OSHA. Each of the three European sites is a 
subsidiary of UL. The site in Milan also includes a testing facility in 
Sardinia, Italy.
    OSHA published the required notice in the Federal Register (64 FR 
44241, 
8/13/99). The notice included a preliminary finding that UL could meet 
the requirements for expansion of its recognition, and OSHA invited 
public comment on the application by October 12, 1999. OSHA received no 
comments concerning this application.
    UL's previous application as an NRTL covered an expansion of 
recognition (62 FR 62359, 11/21/97), which OSHA granted on June 24, 
1999 (64 FR 33913).
    You may obtain or review copies of all public documents pertaining 
to the application by contacting the Docket Office, Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW, Room N2625, Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone: (202) 693-
2350. You should refer to Docket No. NRTL-4-93, the permanent record of 
public information on the UL recognition.
    The current addresses of the facilities (sites) that OSHA already 
recognizes for UL 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 NW 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, Taiwan

    The current addresses of the three (3) additional UL sites 
recognized in this notice are:

DEMKO A/S, Lyskaer 8, P.O. Box 514, DK-2730, Herlev, Denmark
Underwriters Laboratory International (U.K.) Ltd., 2 Station View, 
Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4JY, United Kingdom
Underwriters Laboratory International Italia S.r.l., Centro Direzionale 
Colleoni, Palazzo Andromeda/3, 1-20041 Agrate Brianza (MI), Milan, 
Italy

Final Decision and Order

    The NRTL Program staff has examined the application, the on-site 
review report (see Exhibit 20), and other pertinent information. Based 
upon this examination, OSHA finds that UL has met the requirements of 
29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its recognition to include the three (3) 
additional sites listed above, subject to the limitations and 
conditions listed below. Pursuant to the authority in 29 CFR 1910.7, 
OSHA hereby expands the recognition of UL, subject to these limitations 
and conditions. As is the case for any NRTL, UL's recognition is 
further limited to equipment or materials (products) for which OSHA 
standards require third party testing and certification before use in 
the workplace. As a result, OSHA's recognition of an NRTL for a 
particular test standard excludes any product(s), falling within the 
scope of the test standard, for which OSHA has no such requirements.

Limitations

    OSHA hereby expands the recognition of UL to include the sites in 
Herlev (Denmark), Surrey (U.K.), and Milan (Italy), as listed above. 
OSHA's recognition of these sites is limited to performing product 
testing and certifications only to the test standards for which the 
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.
    These sites also may use all eight of the ``supplemental'' 
programs. An NRTL may use these programs, which OSHA has described in a 
March 9, 1995 Federal Register notice (60 FR 12980, 
3/9/95), to control and audit, but not actually to generate, the data 
relied upon for product certification. The Agency does not consider 
these programs in determining whether an NRTL meets the requirements 
for recognition under 29 CFR 1910.7. However, OSHA does treat these 
programs as one of the three elements that defines an NRTL's scope of 
recognition. OSHA previously recognized UL for these programs. As a 
result, we do not list them again in this final notice but merely 
provide this information as a matter of public interest.

Conditions

    Underwriters Laboratories Inc. must also abide by the following 
conditions of the recognition, in addition to those already required by 
29 CFR 1910.7:
    OSHA must be allowed access to UL's facilities and records for 
purposes of ascertaining continuing compliance with the terms of its 
recognition and to investigate as OSHA deems necessary;
    If UL has reason to doubt the efficacy of any test standard it is 
using under this program, it must promptly inform the organization that 
developed the test standard of this fact and provide that organization 
with appropriate relevant information upon which its concerns are 
based;
    UL must not engage in or permit others to engage in any 
misrepresentation of the scope or conditions of its recognition. As 
part of this condition, UL agrees that it will allow no representation 
that it is either a recognized or an accredited Nationally Recognized 
Testing Laboratory (NRTL) without clearly indicating the specific 
equipment or material to which this recognition is tied, or that its 
recognition is limited to certain products;
    UL must inform OSHA as soon as possible, in writing, of any change 
of ownership, facilities, or key personnel, and of any major changes in 
its operations as an NRTL, including details;
    UL will continue to meet all the terms of its recognition and will 
always comply with all OSHA policies pertaining to this recognition;

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    UL will continue to meet the requirements for recognition in all 
areas where it has been recognized; and
    UL will always cooperate with OSHA to assure compliance with the 
spirit as well as the letter of its recognition and 29 CFR 1910.7.

    Signed at Washington, DC this day of 30th day of November, 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-31683 Filed 12-6-99; 8:45 am]
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