General product complianceUSA: Modification to the List of NRTL Program Test Standards

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA announced the final decision to add seven new test standards to the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) Program’s list of appropriate test standards.

Moreover, it deleted or replaced several test standards from the NRTL Program’s list of appropriate test standards; and updated the scope of recognition of several NRTLs.

The NRTL Program recognizes organizations that provide product safety testing and certification services to manufacturers. These organizations perform testing and certification for purposes of the program, to U.S. consensus-based product-safety test standards. The products covered by the NRTL Program consist of those items for which OSHA safety standards require ‘‘certification’’ by a NRTL. The requirements affect electrical products and 38 other types of products. OSHA does not develop or issue these test standards, but generally relies on standards development organizations (SDOs), which develop and maintain the standards using a method that provides input and consideration of views of industry groups, experts, users, consumers, governmental authorities and others having broad experience in the safety field involved.

Each organization involved in the NRTL Program has a scope of test standards that they are recognized for, and each NRTL uses its own unique registered certification mark(s) to designate product conformance to the applicable product safety test standards. After certifying a product, the NRTL authorizes the manufacturer to apply a registered certification mark to the product. If the certification is done under the NRTL program, this mark signifies that the NRTL tested and certified the product, and that the product complies with the requirements of one or more appropriate product safety test standards.

The seven added standards are:

• UL 970 – Standard for Retail Fixtures and Merchandise Displays.
• UL 62841–2–17 – Electric Motor-Operated Hand-Held Tools, Transportable Tools and Lawn and Garden Machinery—Safety— Part 2–17: Particular Requirements for Hand-Held Routers.
• UL 62841–4–1 Electric Motor-Operated Hand-Held Tools, Transportable Tools and Lawn And Garden Machinery—Safety— Part 4–1: Particular Requirements for Chain Saws.
• UL 62841–4–2 Standard for Electric Motor-Operated Hand-Held Tools, Transportable Tools and Lawn And Garden Machinery—Safety—Part 4–2: Particular Requirements for Hedge Trimmers.
• CSA/ANSI C22.2 No. 336 Particular requirements for rechargeable battery-operated commercial robotic floor treatment machines with traction drives.
• UL 61730–1 Standard for Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification—Part 1: Requirements for Construction.
• UL 61730–2 Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification—Part 2: Requirements for Testing.

The full text of the notification can be found HERE.