[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 160 (Friday, August 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51152-51154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17881]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0025]


UL LLC: Application 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 application of UL LLC for 
expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized 
Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding 
to grant the application.

DATES: Submit comments, information, and documents in response to this 
notice, or requests for an extension of time to make a submission, on 
or before September 6, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by any of the following methods:
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at: https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Docket: To read or download submissions or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 
the above address. All 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 at the OSHA Docket Office. Contact the 
OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for 
assistance in locating docket submissions.

[[Page 51153]]

    Please note: While OSHA's docket office is continuing to accept and 
process submissions by regular mail, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 
Docket Office is closed to the public and not able to receive 
submissions to the rulemaking record by express delivery, hand 
delivery, and messenger service.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
OSHA docket number (OSHA-2009-0025). OSHA places comments and other 
materials, including any personal information, in the public docket 
without revision, and these materials will be available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, the agency cautions commenters 
about submitting statements they do not want made available to the 
public, or submitting comments that contain personal information 
(either about themselves or others) such as Social Security numbers, 
birth dates, and medical data.
    Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of 
the comment period on or before September 6, 2022 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 UL LLC (UL) is applying to expand the 
scope of its current recognition as a NRTL. UL requests the addition of 
two test standards to its NRTL scope of recognition.
    OSHA's 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 NRTLs or applicant 
organizations for initial recognition, as well as for expansion or 
renewal of recognition, following the 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 a 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 UL, which details that 
NRTL's scope of recognition. These pages are available from the OSHA 
website at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html. UL currently 
has thirteen facilities (sites) recognized by OSHA for product testing 
and certification, with headquarters located at: UL LLC, 333 Pfingsten 
Road, Northbrook, Illinois 60062. A complete list of UL sites 
recognized by OSHA is available at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ul.html.

II. General Background on the Application

    UL submitted an application, dated December 24, 2021, to expand 
recognition to include thirty-eight additional test standards (OSHA-
2009-0025-0043). This application was amended on July 19, 2022 to 
separate two standards from the original request (OSHA-2009-0025-0044). 
The remaining thirty-six standards will be addressed in a separate 
Federal Register notice in the future. The current expansion under 
consideration, if approved, will cover two standards. OSHA staff 
performed a detailed analysis of the application packet and other 
pertinent information. OSHA did not perform any on-site reviews in 
relation to this application.
    Table 1, below, lists the test standards found in UL's application 
for expansion for testing and certification of products under the NRTL 
Program.

  Table 1--Proposed Test Standards for Inclusion in UL's NRTL Scope of
                               Recognition
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            Test standard                     Test standard title
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UL 2272..............................  Standard for Electrical Systems
                                        and Personal E-Mobility Devices.
UL 2849..............................  Standard for Electrical Systems
                                        for eBikes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Preliminary Findings on the Application

    UL submitted an acceptable application for expansion of the scope 
of recognition. OSHA's review of the application files and related 
material preliminarily indicate that UL can meet the requirements 
prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for expanding recognition to include the 
addition of the test standards listed above for NRTL testing and 
certification. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim 
or temporary approval of UL's application.

IV. Public Participation

    OSHA welcomes public comment as to whether UL 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 no longer than 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 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, listed in ADDRESSES. These materials also are

[[Page 51154]]

generally available online at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket 
No. OSHA-2009-0025 (for further information, see the ``Docket'' heading 
in the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES),
    OSHA staff will review all comments to the docket submitted in a 
timely manner and after addressing the issues raised by these comments, 
make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for Occupational 
Safety and Health on whether to grant UL's application for expansion of 
its scope of recognition. The Assistant Secretary will make the final 
decision on granting the application. 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 its final decision in the 
Federal Register.

V. Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, authorized the preparation of this 
notice. Accordingly, the agency is issuing this notice pursuant to 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 August 5, 2022.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-17881 Filed 8-18-22; 8:45 am]
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