Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 24, 2024 / Notices 31221 

of ITSNA’s recognition to testing and 

certification of products for 

demonstration of conformance to the 

test standards listed below in Table 1. 

TABLE 1—APPROPRIATE TEST STANDARDS FOR INCLUSION IN ITSNA’S NRTL SCOPE OF RECOGNITION

Test standard Test standard title 

UL 1973 .......................................... Batteries for Use in Stationary, Vehicle Auxiliary Power and Light Electric Rail (LER) Applications. 

UL 2271 .......................................... Batteries for Use in Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) Applications. 

UL 2524 .......................................... In-Building 2-Way Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement Systems. 

UL 2743 .......................................... Portable Power Packs. 

The American National Standards 

Institute (ANSI) may approve the test 

standards listed above as American 

National Standards. However, for 

convenience, we may use the 

designation of the standards-developing 

organization for the standard as opposed 

to the ANSI designation. Under the 

NRTL Program’s policy (see OSHA 

Instruction CPL 01–00–004, Chapter 2, 

Section VIII), any NRTL recognized for 

a particular test standard may use either 

the proprietary version of the test 

standard or the ANSI version of that 

standard. Contact ANSI to determine 

whether a test standard is currently 

ANSI-approved. 

A. Conditions 

In addition to those conditions 

already required by 29 CFR 1910.7, 

ITSNA must abide by the following 

conditions of the recognition: 

1. ITSNA must inform OSHA as soon 

as possible, in writing, of any change of 

ownership, facilities, or key personnel, 

and of any major change in its 

operations as a NRTL, and provide 

details of the change(s); 

2. ITSNA must meet all the terms of 

its recognition and comply with all 

OSHA policies pertaining to this 

recognition; and 

3. ITSNA must continue to meet the 

requirements for recognition, including 

all previously published conditions on 

ITSNA’s scope of recognition, in all 

areas for which it has recognition. 

Pursuant to the authority in 29 CFR 

1910.7, OSHA hereby expands the scope 

of recognition of ITSNA as a NRTL, 

subject to the limitations and conditions 

specified above. 

III. 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 April 17, 

2024. 

James S. Frederick, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Occupational Safety and Health. 

[FR Doc. 2024–08686 Filed 4–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration 

[Docket No. OSHA–2011–0056] 

Voluntary Protection Programs; 

Extension of the Office of Management 

and Budget’s (OMB) Approval of 

Information Collection (Paperwork) 

Requirements 

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA), Labor. 

ACTION: Request for public comments. 

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public 

comments concerning the proposal to 

extend the Office of Management and 

Budget’s (OMB) approval of the 

information collection requirements 

specified in the Voluntary Protection 

Program. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted 

(postmarked, sent, or received) by June 

24, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: 

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 

comments or other material in the 

docket, go to https://

www.regulations.gov. Documents in the 

docket 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 websites. 

All submissions, including copyrighted 

material, are available for inspection 

through the OSHA Docket Office. 

Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 

693–2350 (TTY (877) 889–5627) for 

assistance in locating docket 

submissions. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and OSHA 

docket number (OSHA–2011–0056) for 

the Information Collection Request 

(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, 

including any personal information, in 

the public docket, which may be made 

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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Seleda Perryman, Directorate of 

Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. 

Department of Labor; telephone (202) 

693–2222. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Department of Labor, as part of 

the continuing effort to reduce 

paperwork and respondent (i.e., 

employer) burden, conducts a 

preclearance consultation program to 

provide the public with an opportunity 

to comment on proposed and 

continuing information collection 

requirements in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 

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

ensures that information is in the 

desired format, reporting burden (time 

and costs) is minimal, the collection 

instruments are clearly understood, and 

OSHA’s estimate of the information 

collection burden is accurate. The 

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 

1970 (OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) 

authorizes information collection by 

employers as necessary or appropriate 

for enforcement of the OSH Act or for 

developing information regarding the 

causes and prevention of occupational 

injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 

U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also requires 

that OSHA obtain such information 

with minimum burden upon employers, 

especially those operating small 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
31222 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 24, 2024 / Notices 

1Source: Adopted by OSHA on July 2,1982 (47 

FR 29025). 

businesses, and to reduce to the 

maximum extent feasible unnecessary 

duplication of effort in obtaining 

information (29 U.S.C. 657). 

The following sections describe who 

uses the information collected under 

each requirement, as well as how they 

use it. The Voluntary Protection 

Program (VPP) 1 established the efficacy 

of cooperative action among 

government, industry, and labor to 

address employee safety and health 

issues and to expand employee 

protection. To qualify, employers must 

meet OSHA’s safety and health 

management criteria which focus on 

comprehensive management programs 

and active employee involvement to 

prevent or control worksite safety and 

health hazards. Employers who qualify 

generally view OSHA standards as a 

minimum level of safety and health 

performance, and set their own more 

stringent standards, wherever necessary, 

to improve employee protection. 

Prospective VPP worksites must submit 

an application that includes: 

• General applicant information (e.g., 

site, corporate, and collective bargaining 

contact information). 

• Injury and illness rate performance 

information (i.e., number of employees 

and/or applicable contractors on-site, 

type of work performed and products 

produced, North American Industry 

Classification System (NAICS), and 

Recordable Injury and Illness Case 

Incidence Rate information. 

• Safety and health management 

program information (i.e., description of 

the applicant’s safety and health 

management programs including how 

the programs successfully addresses 

management leadership and employee 

involvement, worksite analysis, hazard 

prevention and control, and safety and 

health training OSHA uses this 

information to determine whether an 

applicant is ready for a VPP on-site 

evaluation and as a verification tool 

during VPP on-site evaluations. Without 

this information, OSHA would be 

unable to determine which sites are 

ready for VPP status. 

Each current VPP applicant is also 

required to submit an annual evaluation 

which addresses how that applicant is 

continuing the adherence to 

programmatic requirements. In 2008, 

OSHA modified procedures for VPP 

applicants, OSHA on-site evaluation, 

and Annual participant self-evaluation 

for applicants/participants subject to 

OSHA’s Process Safety Management 

(PSM) Standard. Applicants that 

perform works that use or produce 

highly hazardous chemical exceeding 

specified limits covered under the PSM 

standard must submit responses to the 

PSM application supplement along with 

their VPP application. 

Once in the VPP, the participant is 

required to submit an annual evaluation 

detailing the continued adherence to 

programmatic requirements. Applicants 

covered under the PSM standard are 

required to submit a PSM questionnaire 

a supplemental document as part of 

their annual submission. OSHA needs 

this information to ensure that the 

participant remains qualified to 

participate in the VPP between the onsite evaluations. Without this 

information, OSHA would be unable to 

determine whether applicants are 

maintaining excellent safety and health 

management programs during this 

interim period. 

In 2009, with the publication of the 

Federal Register Notice (FRN), VPP 

revised the traditional focus on 

individual fixed worksites (site-based) 

by adding two new ways to participate: 

mobile workforce and corporate. A 

significant reorganization of the 

program helps clarify the multiple 

participation options now available. 

Employees of VPP participants may 

apply to participate in the Special 

Government Employee (SGE) Program. 

The SGE Program offers private and 

public sector safety and health 

professionals and other qualified 

participants the opportunity to 

exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, 

and grow professionally while serving 

as full-fledged team members on 

OSHA’s VPP on-site evaluations. In that 

capacity, SGEs may review company 

documents, assist with worksite 

walkthroughs, interview employees, and 

assist in preparing VPP on-site 

evaluation reports. Potential SGEs must 

submit an application that includes: 

• SGE Eligibility Information Sheet 

(i.e., applicant’s name, professional 

credentials, site/corporate contact 

information, etc.); 

• Current Resume; 

• Optional Application for Federal 

Employment OF–612; and 

• Confidential Financial Disclosure 

Report (OGE Form 450). 

OSHA uses the SGE Eligibility 

Information Sheet to ensure that the 

potential SGE works at a VPP site and 

meets the minimum eligibility 

qualifications. The resume is required to 

provide a detailed description of their 

current duties and responsibilities as 

they relate to safety and health and the 

implementation of an effective safety 

and health management program. The 

OGE Form 450 is used to ensure that 

SGEs do not participate in on-site 

evaluations at VPP sites where they 

have a financial interest. 

OSHA Challenge is designed to reach 

and guide employers and companies in 

all major industry groups who are 

strongly committed to improving their 

safety and health management programs 

and possibly pursuing recognition in the 

VPP. The Challenge Administrators 

application is used to: (1) conduct a 

preliminary analysis of the applicant’s 

knowledge of safety and health 

management programs; and (2) make a 

determination regarding the applicant’s 

qualifications to become a Challenge 

Administrator. Once a Challenge 

Administrator is approved, the 

Administrator will review each 

challenge candidate’s application/ 

annual submissions to ensure that all 

necessary information is provided, prior 

to forwarding to OSHA’s National Office 

for acceptance and analysis. 

II. Special Issues for Comment 

OSHA has a particular interest in 

comments on the following issues: 

• Whether the proposed information 

collection requirements are necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

agency’s functions to protect workers, 

including whether the information is 

useful; 

• The accuracy of OSHA’s estimate of 

the burden (time and costs) of the 

information collection requirements, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

• The quality, utility, and clarity of 

the information collected; and 

• Ways to minimize the burden on 

employers who must comply; for 

example, by using automated or other 

technological information, and 

transmission techniques. 

III. Proposed Actions 

OSHA is requesting that OMB extend 

the approval of the information 

collection requirements contained in 

Voluntary Protection Programs. The 

agency is requesting an adjustment 

decrease from 90,500 hours to 69,657 

hours, a difference of 20,843 hours. This 

decrease is due to the lack of Challenge 

Participation, lack of training of new 

SGE applicants and re-approval training 

of existing SGE’s. The lingering effect of 

the COVID–19 Pandemic effected all 

OSHA Cooperative Programs. 

OSHA will summarize the comments 

submitted in response to this notice and 

will include this summary in the 

request to OMB to extend the approval 

of the information collection 

requirements. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 24, 2024 / Notices 31223 

Title: Voluntary Protection Programs 

(VPP). 

OMB Control Number: 1218–0239. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofits. 

Number of Respondents: 3,751. 

Number of Responses: 3,295. 

Frequency of Responses: Various. 

Average Time per Response: Varies. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 

69,657. 

Estimated Cost (Operation and 

Maintenance): $0. 

IV. Public Participation—Submission of 

Comments on This Notice and Internet 

Access to Comments and Submissions 

You may submit comments in 

response to this document as follows: 

(1) electronically at https://

www.regulations.gov, which is the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal; or (2) by 

facsimile (fax), if your comments, 

including attachments, are not longer 

than 10 pages you may fax them to the 

OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693–1648. 

All comments, attachments, and other 

material must identify the agency name 

and the OSHA docket number for the 

ICR OSHA–2011–0056. You may 

supplement electronic submission by 

uploading document files electronically. 

Comments and submissions are 

posted without change at https://

www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA 

cautions commenters about submitting 

personal information such as social 

security numbers and dates of birth. 

Although all submissions are listed in 

the https://www.regulations.gov index, 

some information (e.g., copyrighted 

material) is not publicly available to 

read or download from this website. All 

submission, including copyrighted 

material, are available for inspection 

and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. 

Information on using the https://

www.regulations.gov website to submit 

comments and access the docket is 

available at the website’s ‘‘User Tips’’ 

link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at 

(202) 693–2350, (TTY (877) 889–5627) 

for information about materials not 

available from the website, and for 

assistance in using the internet to locate 

docket submissions. 

V. Authority and Signature 

James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant 

Secretary of Labor for Occupational 

Safety and Health, directed the 

preparation of this notice. The authority 

for this notice is the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506 

et seq.) and Secretary of Labor’s Order 

No. 8–2020 (85 FR 58393). 

Signed at Washington, DC, on April 17, 

2024. 

James S. Frederick, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Occupational Safety and Health. 

[FR Doc. 2024–08690 Filed 4–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration 

[Docket No. OSHA–2007–0042] 

TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.: 

Grant of Expansion of Recognition 

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA), Labor. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA 

announces the final decision to expand 

the scope of recognition for TUV 

Rheinland of North America, Inc., as a 

Nationally Recognized Testing 

Laboratory (NRTL). 

DATES: The expansion of the scope of 

recognition becomes effective on April 

24, 2024. 

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; telephone: (202) 693–1911; 

email: robinson.kevin@dol.gov. OSHA’s 

web page includes information about 

the NRTL Program (see http://

www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ 

index.html). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Notice of Final Decision 

OSHA hereby gives notice of the 

expansion of the scope of recognition of 

TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. 

(TUVRNA), as a NRTL. TUVRNA’s 

expansion covers the addition of two 

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 productcertification 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 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 that 

NRTL’s scope of recognition. These 

pages are available from the OSHA 

website at http://www.osha.gov/dts/ 

otpca/nrtl/index.html. 

TUVRNA submitted an application, 

dated June 7, 2023 (OSHA–2007–0042– 

0072), to expand recognition to include 

the addition of two test standards to the 

NRTL scope of recognition. OSHA staff 

performed a detailed analysis of the 

application packet and reviewed other 

pertinent information. OSHA did not 

perform any on-site reviews in relation 

to this application. 

OSHA published the preliminary 

notice announcing TUVRNA’s 

expansion application in the Federal 

Register on March 25, 2024 (89 FR 

20705). The agency requested comments 

by April 9, 2024, but it received no 

comments in response to this notice. 

OSHA now is proceeding with this final 

notice to grant expansion of TUVRNA’s 

scope of recognition. 

To review copies of all public 

documents pertaining to TUVRNA’s 

application, go to www.regulations.gov 

or contact the OSHA Docket Office. 

Docket No. OSHA–2007–0042 contains 

all materials in the record concerning 

TUVRNA’s recognition. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES