[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 134 (Monday, July 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42015-42016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15068]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2006-0041]
Southwest Research Institute: Request for Renewal of Recognition
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA announces Southwest Research Institute's
(SWRI) application containing a request for renewal of recognition as a
Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).
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 July 28, 2020.
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.
Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer
than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service:
When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2006-0041,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor, Room N-3653, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.
Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are
accepted during the Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m., ET.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the
OSHA docket number (OSHA-2006-0041). 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.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at
the above address. All documents in the docket (including this Federal
Register notice) are listed in the https://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 for assistance in
locating docket submissions.
Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of
the comment period on or before July 28, 2020 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, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW, Room N-3653, Washington, DC 20210, 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: meilinger.francis2@dol.gov.
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: robinson.kevin@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
OSHA recognition of a NRTL signifies that the organization meets
the 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 approved by the NRTL
to meet OSHA standards that require testing and certification. OSHA
maintains an informational web page for each NRTL that details its
scope of recognition available at http://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html.
OSHA processes applications by a NRTL for renewal of recognition
following requirements in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7. OSHA conducts
renewals in accordance with the procedures in 29 CFR 1910.7, Appendix
A, paragraph II.C. In accordance with these procedures, NRTLs submit a
renewal request to OSHA, not less than nine months or no more than one
year, before the expiration date of its current recognition. The
submission includes a request for renewal and any additional
information the NRTL wishes to submit to demonstrate its continued
compliance with the terms of its recognition and 29 CFR 1910.7. If OSHA
has not conducted an on-site assessment of the NRTL's headquarters and
key sites within the past 18 to 24 months, it will schedule the
necessary on-site assessments prior to the expiration date of the
NRTL's recognition. Upon review of the submitted material and, as
necessary, the successful completion of the on-site assessment, OSHA
announces its preliminary decision to grant or deny renewal in the
Federal Register and solicit comments from the public. OSHA then
publishes a final Federal Register notice responding to any comments
and renewing the NRTL's recognition for a period of five years, or
denying the renewal of recognition.
SWRI initially received OSHA recognition as a NRTL on July 13, 1993
(58 FR 37752). SWRI's most recent renewal was granted on July 30, 2014,
for a five-year period ending on July 30, 2019. SWRI submitted a timely
request for renewal, dated September 14, 2018 (OSHA-2006-0041-0008),
and retains its recognition pending OSHA's final decision in this
renewal process. The current address of the SWRI facility recognized by
OSHA and included as part of the renewal request is:
1. Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, Post Office
Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78238.
II. Notice of Preliminary Findings
OSHA is providing notice that SWRI is applying for renewal of its
recognition as a NRTL. This renewal covers SWRI's existing NRTL scope
of recognition. OSHA evaluated SWRI's application for renewal and
preliminarily determined that SWRI can continue to meet the
requirements prescribed by 29 CFR 1910.7 for recognition. Accordingly,
OSHA is making a determination that it does not need to conduct an
additional on-site review of SWRI's facility based on its evaluations
of SWRI's application and all other available information. This
information includes OSHA's audits of SWRI's NRTL recognized site
during this recognition period, and the satisfactory resolution of non-
conformances with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7. This preliminary
finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of the
request.
OSHA welcomes public comment as to whether SWRI meets the
requirements of 29 CFR 1910.7 for renewal of their 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. OSHA must receive the
written request for an extension by the due date for comments. OSHA
will limit any extension to 30 days unless the requester justifies a
longer period. OSHA may deny a request for an extension if it is not
adequately justified. To obtain or review copies of the publicly
available information in SWRI's application and other pertinent
documents (including exhibits), as well as all submitted comments,
contact the Docket Office, Room N-3653, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, at the above address; these
materials also are available online at http://www.regulations.gov under
Docket No. OSHA-2006-0041.
OSHA staff will review all comments to the docket submitted in a
timely manner and, after addressing the issues raised by these
comments, will make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary on
whether to grant SWRI's application for renewal. The Assistant
Secretary will make the final decision on granting the application and,
in making this decision, may undertake other proceedings prescribed in
Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7.
OSHA will publish a public notice of this final decision in the
Federal Register.
III. Authority and Signature
Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington,
DC 20210, 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. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912, Jan. 25, 2012), and
29 CFR 1910.7.
Signed at Washington, DC, on July 7, 2020.
Loren Sweatt,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety
and Health.
[FR Doc. 2020-15068 Filed 7-10-20; 8:45 am]
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