[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51304-51306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21762]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. NRTL1-88]


MET Laboratories, Inc., Expansion of Recognition

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: This recognition becomes effective on August 26, 2003 
and, unless modified in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.7, continues in 
effect while MET remains recognized by OSHA as an NRTL.

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

[[Page 51305]]

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 MET Laboratories, Inc., 
(MET) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). MET's 
expansion covers the use of additional test standards. OSHA's current 
scope of recognition for MET may be found in the following 
informational web page: http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/met.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.
    MET submitted a request, dated April 30, 2002 (see Exhibit 32), to 
expand its recognition as an NRTL to use 20 additional test standards. 
The NRTL Program staff determined that all the standards were 
``appropriate test standards,'' within the meaning of 29 CFR 1910.7(c). 
The staff makes similar determinations in processing expansion requests 
from any NRTL. OSHA NRTL Program staff performed an on-site review of 
the NRTL in September 2002 and recommended the expansion in a memo 
dated October 22, 2002 (see Exhibit 33). Through no fault of MET, the 
application was delayed in processing. MET then submitted an amendment 
on May 15, 2003 (see Exhibit 32-1), to add one additional test standard 
to its expansion request. This standard requires the same capabilities 
as a few of the standards included in the original request and 
therefore falls within the recommendation of the assessor. As a result, 
a total of 21 test standards are approved for the expansion.
    OSHA published the notice of its preliminary findings on the 
expansion request in the Federal Register on June 20, 2003 (68 FR 
37028). The notice requested submission of any public comments by July 
7, 2003. OSHA did not receive any comments pertaining to the 
application.
    The previous notices published by OSHA for MET's recognition 
covered a renewal and expansion of recognition, which became effective 
on May 23, 2002 (67 CFR 36260).
    You may obtain or review copies of all public documents pertaining 
to the MET application by contacting the Docket Office, Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N2625, Washington, DC 20210. You should 
refer to Docket No. NRTL1-88, the permanent record of public 
information on MET's recognition.
    The current address of the MET testing facility that OSHA 
recognizes for MET is: MET Laboratories, Inc., 914 West Patapsco 
Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.

Final Decision and Order

    The NRTL Program staff has examined the application, the assessor's 
recommendation, and other pertinent information. Based upon this 
examination and the recommendation, OSHA finds that MET Laboratories, 
Inc., has met the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its 
recognition to include the additional test standards subject to the 
limitation and conditions listed below. Pursuant to the authority in 29 
CFR 1910.7, OSHA hereby expands the recognition of MET, subject to this 
limitation and these conditions.

Limitation

    OSHA limits the expansion to testing and certification of products 
for demonstration of conformance to the following 21 test standards, 
and OSHA has determined the standards are appropriate within the 
meaning of 29 CFR 1910.7(c).

UL48 Electric Signs
UL183 Manufactured Wiring Systems
UL325 Door, Drapery, Gate, Louver and Window Operator and Systems
UL355 Cord Reels
UL427 Refrigerating Units
UL508C Power Conversion Equipment
UL541 Refrigerated Vending Machines
UL756 Coin and Currency Changers and Actuaters
UL778 Motor-Operated Water Pumps
UL916 Energy Management Equipment
UL961 Electric Hobby and Sports Equipment
UL983 Surveillance Cameras Units
UL1419 Professional Video and Audio Equipment
UL1433 Control Centers for Changing Message Type Electric Signs
UL1564 Industrial Battery Chargers
UL1574 Track Lighting Systems
UL1740 Industrial Robots and Robotic Equipment
UL1838 Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Systems
UL2044 Commercial Closed Circuit Television Equipment
UL2161 Neon Transformers and Power Supplies
UL3044 Surveillance Closed Circuit Television Equipment

    Many of the test standards listed above are approved as American 
National Standards by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 
However, for convenience in compiling the list, we show the designation 
of the standards developing organization (e.g., UL 541) for the 
standard, as opposed to the ANSI designation (e.g., ANSI/UL 541). Under 
our procedures, an 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, regardless of which version 
appears in the list of test standards found on OSHA's informational web 
page for the NRTL. Contact ``NSSN'' (http://www.nssn.org), an 
organization partially sponsored by ANSI, to find out whether or not a 
standard is currently ANSI-approved.
    OSHA's recognition of MET, 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 falls within the scope of a 
test standard, but for which OSHA standards do not require NRTL testing 
and certification.

Conditions

    MET Laboratories, Inc. must also abide by the following conditions 
of the recognition, in addition to those already required by 29 CFR 
1910.7:
    MET 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;

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    OSHA must be allowed access to MET's facility and records for 
purposes of ascertaining continuing compliance with the terms of its 
recognition and to investigate as OSHA deems necessary;
    If MET 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;
    MET 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, MET 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;
    MET 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;
    MET will meet all the terms of its recognition and will always 
comply with all OSHA policies pertaining to this recognition; and
    MET will continue to meet the requirements for recognition in all 
areas where it has been recognized.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 15th day of August, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-21762 Filed 8-25-03; 8:45 am]
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