[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31731-31733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12463]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0042]


TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.: Applications for Expansion 
of Recognition

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA announces the applications of TUV 
Rheinland of North America, Inc., for expansion of the scope of 
recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and 
presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the applications.

DATES: Submit comments, information, and documents in response to this 
notice, or requests for an extension of

[[Page 31732]]

time to make a submission, on or before June 30, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted as follows:
    Electronically: You may submit comments, including attachments, 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are 
listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; however, some 
information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to 
read or download through the website. All submissions, including 
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA 
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for assistance in 
locating docket submissions.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
OSHA docket number for this Federal Register notice (OSHA-2007-0042). 
OSHA will place comments and requests to speak, including personal 
information, in the public docket, which may be available online. 
Therefore, OSHA cautions interested parties about submitting personal 
information such as Social Security numbers and birthdates. For further 
information on submitting comments, see the ``Public Participation'' 
heading in the section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of 
the comment period on or before June 30, 2021 to the Office of 
Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, Directorate of 
Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; or by fax to (202) 
693-1644.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this notice is 
available from the following sources:
    Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office 
of Communications, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone: (202) 693-1999; 
email: [email protected].
    General and technical information: Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, 
Director, Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, 
Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; phone: 
(202) 693-2110 or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Notice of the Application for Expansion

    OSHA is providing notice that TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. 
(TUVRNA) is applying for an expansion of current recognition as a NRTL. 
TUVRNA requests the addition of eleven test standards to the NRTL scope 
of recognition.
    OSHA recognition of a NRTL signifies that the organization meets 
the requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.7. Recognition is an 
acknowledgment that the organization can perform independent safety 
testing and certification of the specific products covered within the 
scope of recognition. Each NRTL's scope of recognition includes (1) the 
type of products the NRTL may test, with each type specified by the 
applicable test standard and (2) the recognized site(s) that has/have 
the technical capability to perform the product-testing and product-
certification activities for test standards within the NRTL's scope. 
Recognition is not a delegation or grant of government authority; 
however, recognition enables employers to use products approved by the 
NRTL to meet OSHA standards that require product testing and 
certification.
    The agency processes applications by a NRTL for initial recognition 
and for an 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 the preliminary finding. In the second notice, 
the agency provides the final decision on the application. These 
notices set forth the NRTL's scope of recognition or modifications of 
that scope. OSHA maintains an informational web page for each NRTL, 
including TUVRNA, which details the NRTL's scope of recognition. These 
pages are available from the OSHA website at http://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html.
    TUVRNA currently has eight facilities (sites) recognized by OSHA 
for product testing and certification, with the headquarters located 
at: TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., 12 Commerce Road, Newtown, 
Connecticut 06470. A complete list of TUVRNA sites recognized by OSHA 
is available at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/tuv.html.

II. General Background on the Application

    TUVRNA submitted an application, dated February 6, 2019 (OSHA-2007-
0042-0050), to expand their recognition to include the addition of nine 
test standards. TUVRNA submitted a second application, dated September 
27, 2019 (OSHA-2007-0042-0051), to expand their recognition to include 
the addition of five test standards. The first application was amended 
on May 3, 2021, to remove three standards from the original expansion 
request for nine standards. OSHA staff performed a detailed analysis of 
the application packets and reviewed other pertinent information. OSHA 
did not perform any on-site reviews in relation to these applications.
    Table 1 lists the appropriate test standards found in TUVRNA's 
applications for expansion of the scope of recognition under the NRTL 
Program.

  Table 1--Proposed List of Appropriate Test Standards for Inclusion in
                   TUVRNA's NRTL Scope of Recognition
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            Test standard                     Test standard title
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UL 60745-2-3.........................  Particular Requirements for
                                        Grinders, Polishers and Disk-
                                        Type Sanders.
UL 60745-2-13........................  Particular Requirements for Chain
                                        Saws.
UL 60745-2-15........................  Particular Requirements for Hedge
                                        Trimmers.
UL 2594..............................  Standard for Electric Vehicle
                                        Supply Equipment.
UL 61800-5-1.........................  Adjustable Speed Electrical Power
                                        Drive Systems--Part 5-1: Safety
                                        Requirements--Electrical,
                                        Thermal and Energy.
UL 3703..............................  Standard for Solar Trackers.
UL 943B..............................  Appliance Leakage--Current
                                        Interrupters.
UL 962A..............................  Standard for Furniture Power
                                        Distribution Units.
UL 1059..............................  Standard for Terminal Blocks.
UL 1449..............................  Standard for Surge Protective
                                        Devices.

[[Page 31733]]

 
UL 60730-2-9.........................  Standard for Automatic Electrical
                                        Controls--Part 2-9: Particular
                                        Requirements for Temperatures
                                        Sensing Controls.
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III. Preliminary Finding on the Applications

    TUVRNA submitted acceptable applications for expansion of the scope 
of recognition. OSHA's review of the application files indicates that 
TUVRNA can meet the requirements prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for 
expanding recognition to include the addition of these eleven test 
standards for NRTL testing and certification. This preliminary finding 
does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of TUVRNA's 
applications.
    OSHA welcomes public comment as to whether TUVRNA meets the 
requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of recognition as a NRTL. 
Comments should consist of pertinent written documents and exhibits. 
Commenters needing more time to comment must submit a request in 
writing, stating the reasons for the request by the due date for 
comments. OSHA will limit any extension to 10 days unless the requester 
justifies a longer time period. OSHA may deny a request for an 
extension if it is not adequately justified. To obtain or review copies 
of the exhibits identified in this notice, as well as comments 
submitted to the docket, contact the Docket Office, Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. These materials 
also are available online at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket 
No. OSHA-2007-0042.
    OSHA staff will review all comments to the docket submitted in a 
timely manner. After addressing the issues raised by these comments, 
staff will make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary of Labor 
for Occupational Safety and Health on whether to grant TUVRNA's 
applications for expansion of the scope of recognition. The Assistant 
Secretary will make the final decision on granting the applications. In 
making this decision, the Assistant Secretary may undertake other 
proceedings prescribed in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7.
    OSHA will publish a public notice of the final decision in the 
Federal Register.

Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 
DC 20210, authorized the preparation of this notice. Accordingly, the 
agency is issuing this notice pursuant to Section 29 U.S.C. 657(g)(2), 
Secretary of Labor's Order No. 8-2020 (85 FR 58393; Sept. 18, 2020), 
and 29 CFR 1910.7.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on June 8, 2021.
James S. Frederick,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2021-12463 Filed 6-14-21; 8:45 am]
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