39944 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR 1218–0209 2000]

Proposed Information Collection

Request Submitted for Public

Comment and Recommendations;

OSHA Data Initiative (1218–0209)

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as

part of its continuing effort to reduce

paperwork and respondent burden,

conducts a pre-clearance consultation

program to provide the general public

and Federal agencies with an

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing collections of

information in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden (time and

financial resources) is minimized,

collection instruments are clearly

understood, and the impact of collection

requirements on respondents can be

properly assessed. Currently, the

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed

extension of the information collection

request for the OSHA Data Collection

System. A copy of the proposed

information collection request (ICR) can

be obtained by contacting the office

listed below in the addresses section of

this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted to the office listed in the

addressee section below on or before

August 28, 2000.

The Department of Labor is

particularly interested in comments

which:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and minimize the burden of

the collection of information on those

who are to respond, including through

the use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be

submitted to the Docket Office, Docket

No. ICR 1218–0209 2000, U.S.

Department of Labor, Room N–2625,

200 Constitution Ave., NW,

Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone

(202) 693–2350. Written comments

limited to 10 pages or less in length may

be transmitted by facsimile to (202)

693–1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dave Schmidt, Directorate of

Information Technology, Office of

Statistics, Occupational Safety and

Health Administration, U.S. Department

of Labor, Room N3644, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210,

telephone: (202) 693–1886. Copies of

the referenced information collection

request are available for inspection and

copying in the Docket Office and will be

mailed to persons who request copies by

telephoning Dave Schmidt at (202) 693–

1886 or Todd Owen at (202) 693–2444.

For electronic copies of the OSHA Data

Initiative information collection request,

contact OSHA’s WebPage on the

Internet at http://www.osha-slc.gov/

OCIS/Infor_coll.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

To meet many of OSHA’s program

needs, OSHA is proposing to continue

its data initiative to collect occupational

injury and illness data and information

on number of workers employed and

number of hours worked from

establishments in portions of the private

sector and from some state and local

government agencies. OSHA will collect

calendar year 2000 data from up to

136,000 employers already required to

create and maintain records pursuant to

29 CFR Part 1904. These data will allow

OSHA to calculate occupational injury

and illness rates and to focus its efforts

on individual workplaces with ongoing

serious safety and health problems.

Successful implementation of the data

collection initiative is critical to OSHA’s

reinvention efforts and the data

requirements tied to the Government

Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

II. Current Actions

This notice requests public comment

on an extension of the current OMB

approval of the paperwork requirements

for the OSHA Data Collection System.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved collection.

Agency: Occupational Safety and

Health Administration.

Title: OSHA Data Initiative.

OMB Number: 1218–0209.

Agency Number: ICR 1218–0209 2000.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit, farms, and State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Cite/Reference/Form/etc: OSHA Form

196A and OSHA Form 196B.

Total Respondents: 136,000.

Frequency: Annually.

Average Time per Response: 30

minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 63,000

hours.

Comments submitted in response to

this comment request will be

summarized and/or included in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget approval of the information

collection request; they will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: June 22, 2000.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety

and Health.

[FR Doc. 00–16345 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. NRTL–2–98]

NSF International, Expansion of

Recognition

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Agency’s final decision on the

application of NSF International (NSF)

for expansion of its recognition as a

Nationally Recognized Testing

Laboratory (NRTL) under 29 CFR

1910.7.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This recognition

becomes effective on June 28, 2000 and,

unless modified in accordance with 29

CFR 1910.7, continues in effect while

NSF 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,

Room N3653, Washington, D.C. 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

NSF International (NSF) as a Nationally

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices 39945

Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

NSF’s expansion request covers the use

of additional test standards.

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, OSHA can accept products

‘‘properly certified’’ by the NRTL.

OSHA processes applications related to

an NRTL’s recognition following

requirements in Appendix A to 29 CFR

1910.7. This appendix requires that the

Agency publish this public notice of its

final decision on an application.

NSF submitted a request, dated

December 17, 1998 (see Exhibit 6A), to

expand its recognition as an NRTL for

6 additional test standards. NSF also

submitted a similar request, dated

March 1, 1999 (see Exhibit 6B), for 4

other test standards. The NRTL Program

staff determined that two of the

standards listed in the December 17

request were not ‘‘appropriate test

standards,’’ within the meaning of 29

CFR 1910.7(c). The staff makes such

determinations in processing expansion

requests from any NRTL. Therefore,

OSHA approved 8 test standards for the

expansion. The staff temporarily

withheld its consideration of NSF’s

requests pending notification by the

NRTL of the certification of its first

products under the NRTL Program. The

Agency imposed a condition requiring

such a notification when it recognized

NSF. However, NSF informed OSHA

that it had not yet had an opportunity

to perform such a certification. OSHA

decided to grant NSF’s requests, but

continues to impose the condition for

notification as restated in this notice.

OSHA published the required notice

in the Federal Register (65 FR 11344,

03/02/2000) to announce the NSF

expansion request. The notice included

a preliminary finding that NSF could

meet the requirements for expansion of

its recognition, subject to the condition

mentioned above, and OSHA invited

public comment on the application by

May 1, 2000. OSHA received no

comments concerning this application.

In processing these requests, OSHA

did not perform an on-site review of

NSF’s NRTL testing facilities. However,

NRTL Program assessment staff

reviewed information pertinent to the

request and, in a memo dated October

21, 1999 (see Exhibit 7), recommended

the expansion of NSF’s recognition to

include the additional test standards.

The most recent notices published by

OSHA for the NSF recognition covered

its initial recognition, which OSHA

announced on August 8, 1998 (63 FR

46082) and granted on December 10,

1998 (63 FR 68309).

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–2–98, the

permanent records of public

information on the NSF recognition.

The current address of the NSF

facility (site) recognized by OSHA is:

NSF International, 789 Dixboro, Ann

Arbor, Michigan 48105.

Condition

As previously mentioned, OSHA

included a condition in the Federal

Register notice for the recognition of

NSF, published on December 10, 1998

(63 FR 68309). The condition requires

NSF to contact the NRTL Program after

NSF has certified its first products

under the program. The condition

continues to apply as part of this

expansion. We have included it below.

The condition applies solely to the

NSF operations as an NRTL and solely

to those products that it certifies for

purposes of enabling employers to meet

OSHA product approval requirements.

The condition is in addition to the other

conditions listed below, which OSHA

normally imposes in its recognition of

an organization as an NRTL. The NRTL

Program staff includes these types of

additional conditions on OSHA’s

informational web page for the NRTL.

When the staff determines that a

particular condition has been satisfied,

not only for NSF but for any NRTL, they

will remove the condition from the web

page and notify the NRTL accordingly.

OSHA has no requirement to publish a

public notice to remove conditions it

imposes as part of its NRTL recognition

activities.

Final Decision and Order

The NRTL Program staff has

examined the application and other

pertinent information. Based upon this

examination and the assessor’s

recommendation, OSHA finds that NSF

International has met the requirements

of 29 CFR 1910.7 for expansion of its

recognition to include the additional

test standards, listed below, subject to

the limitations and conditions listed

below. Pursuant to the authority in 29

CFR 1910.7, OSHA hereby expands the

recognition of NSF, subject to these

limitations and conditions.

Limitations

OSHA hereby expands the recognition

of NSF for testing and certification of

products to demonstrate conformance to

the 8 additional test standards listed

below. OSHA has determined that each

test standard meets the requirements for

an appropriate test standard, within the

meaning of 29 CFR 1910.7(c).

The Agency’s recognition of NSF, or

any NRTL, for a particular test standard

is always 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 test

standard excludes any product(s),

falling within the scope of the test

standard, for which OSHA has no such

requirements.

UL 94 Tests for Flammability of Plastic

Materials for Parts in Devices and

Appliances

UL 621 Ice Cream Makers

UL 651 Schedule 40 and 80 PVC

Conduit

UL 651A Type EB and A Rigid PVC

Conduit and HDPE Conduit

UL 749 Household [Electric]

Dishwashers

UL 763 Motor-Operated Commercial

Food Preparing Machines

UL 1081 Swimming Pool Pumps,

Filters, and Chlorinators

UL 1821 Thermoplastic Sprinkler Pipe

and Fittings for Fire Protection

Some standards listed above are

approved as American National

Standards by the American National

Standards Institute (ANSI). However, for

convenience, the above list shows the

designation of the standard developing

organization (e.g., UL 22) for the

standard, as opposed to the ANSI

designation (e.g., ANSI/UL 22). Under

our procedures, an NRTL that is

approved for a particular test standard

may use either the latest proprietary

version of the test standard or the latest

ANSI version of that standard,

regardless of whether it is currently

recognized for the proprietary or ANSI

version. Contact ANSI or the ANSI web

site to find out whether or not a

standard is currently ANSI approved.

None of the above standards had been

withdrawn by the standards developing

organization (SDO) at the time of the

preparation of the notice of preliminary

finding.

Conditions

NSF International must also abide by

the following conditions of the

39946 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices

recognition, in addition to those already

required by 29 CFR 1910.7:

Within 30 days of certifying its first

products under the NRTL Program, NSF

will notify the OSHA NRTL Program

Director so that OSHA may review

NSF’s implementation of procedures for

testing and follow-up inspections of

products covered within the scope of

the above-listed test standards.

OSHA must be allowed access to the

NSF facilities and records for purposes

of ascertaining continuing compliance

with the terms of its recognition and to

investigate as OSHA deems necessary;

If NSF 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;

NSF 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, NSF 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;

NSF 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;

NSF will continue to meet all the

terms of its recognition and will always

comply with all OSHA policies

pertaining to this recognition;

NSF will continue to meet the

requirements for recognition in all areas

where it has been recognized; and

NSF 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, D.C. this 20th day

of June, 2000.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–16319 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. NRTL–3–92]

TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.,

Expansion of Recognition

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Agency’s final decision on the

application of TUV Rheinland of North

America, Inc., (TUV) for expansion of its

recognition as a Nationally Recognized

Testing Laboratory (NRTL) under 29

CFR 1910.7. Four standards are granted

interim approval subject to review.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This recognition

becomes effective on June 28, 2000.

And, unless modified in accordance

with 29 CFR 1910.7, continues in effect

while TUV 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,

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

TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.,

(TUV) , as a Nationally Recognized

Testing Laboratory (NRTL). TUV’s

expansion request covers the use of the

additional test standards listed below.

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, OSHA can accept products

‘‘properly certified’’ by the NRTL.

OSHA processes applications related to

an NRTL’s recognition following

requirements in Appendix A to 29 CFR

1910.7. This appendix requires that the

Agency publish this public notice of its

final decision on an application.

TUV submitted a request, dated May

5, 1999 (see Exhibit 19A), to expand its

recognition as an NRTL for 139

additional test standards. TUV also

submitted information in support of its

request with a letter, dated July 6, 1999

(see Exhibit 19B). In this submission,

TUV also requested recognition for an

additional 5 standards, bringing the

total requested for the expansion to 144.

The NRTL Program staff determined

that 29 of the 144 standards were not

‘‘appropriate test standards,’’ within the

meaning of 29 CFR 1910.7(c). The staff

makes such determinations in

processing expansion requests from any

NRTL. Therefore, OSHA approved 115

test standards for the expansion. The

staff temporarily withheld its

consideration of TUV’s expansion

request due to findings noted during a

review of TUV’s site. TUV has provided

documentation to OSHA to resolve the

issues raised by the review. Although

the NRTL Program staff has accepted the

NRTL’s resolution, we include a

condition below related to this

resolution. We also include a condition

related to the documentation TUV

submitted in support of its expansion

request.

OSHA published the required notice

in the Federal Register (65 FR 11345,

03/02/2000) to announce the TUV

expansion request. The notice included

a preliminary finding that TUV could

meet the requirements for expansion of

its recognition, subject to certain

conditions, and OSHA invited public

comment on the application by May 1,

2000. OSHA received no comments

concerning this application.

The preliminary notice listed 119 test

standards, four of which TUV had not

requested and OSHA had not approved

for TUV: UL 443, UL 444, UL 448, and

UL 452. We exclude these standards

from this final notice. However, as

explained below, we include four other

test standards in the list, bringing the

total number of standards approved for

the expansion to 119.

In processing TUV’s request, OSHA

performed an on-site assessment

(review) of TUV’s facility in Newtown,

Connecticut, on July 12–14, 1999. In the

final report of the on-site review (see

Exhibit 20), the assessor recommended

the expansion for the additional test

standards.

The most recent notices published by

OSHA for the TUV recognition covered

an expansion of recognition, which

OSHA announced on January 8, 1998

(63 FR 1127) and granted on April 2,

1998 (63 FR 16280).

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,