SGS, the world’s leading testing and certification service provider, has
published advice to help manufacturers and suppliers understand US workplace
regulations for electrical products.
SGS offers a comprehensive range of services to help manufacturers and
retailers ensure their products comply with US government requirements,
including those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The
SGS North America Listed Mark is a clear demonstration to retailers and
consumers that a wide range of products, including power tools, household
appliances, lighting, medical equipment, batteries, IT equipment, and
audio-visual equipment, have been tested and certified in accordance with these
requirements.
US
workplace legislation requires all electrical products to be certified by a
Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). NRTLs are independent testing
laboratories that can test and certify workplace products, within their scope,
and are recognized by OSHA, a division of the US Department of Labor. OSHA is
charged with ensuring workplaces are safe. Their inspectors can enter premises that
are considered unsafe and can close a business down with immediate effect.
One
of the things an inspector will wish to see when entering a business premises
is NRTL certification for all electrical products. According to the
provisions in General Industry Standards (Part 1910 of Title 29, Code of
Federal Regulations – 29 CFR Part 1910) an NRTL must approve 39 different categories
of product before they can be used in the work environment. Product categories
include everything from portable fire extinguishers to scaffolding. In
addition, it also includes many electrical products that can also be used in
the home – cookers, hair dryers, power tools, food processors, coffee machines,
computers, washing machines, etc.
OSHA’s jurisdiction does not cover the domestic environment and so a
product sold only for the domestic market does not, strictly speaking, need
NRTL certification. However, in the modern world, and especially with the
realities of the COVID-19 lockdown further blurring the line between work and home,
it is advisable for all electrical and electronic (E&E) products to have
NRTL certification as they could easily end up in the work environment and this
may leave the employer, or even retailer, liable to future litigation.
NRTL certification demonstrates the product has been tested and
certified to the relevant OSHA approved safety standard, as defined by bodies
such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and UL. Each NRTL will
have a different scope, depending on the specific safety standards for which it
has received OSHA approval.
Certified products are issued with a certificate by the NRTL, which details
the scope of the test standard that has been applied. In addition, every
product that has been certified by an NRTL must bear that NRTL mark.
OSHA jurisdiction only applies to workplaces and so, when a business
owner or manager is buying a product for their workplace, they should always
check that it bears an NRTL mark. This provides assurance that the product is
certified and therefore meets OSHA requirements.
Learn more about US workplace requirements an NRTL certification by
reading SGS’s article; “Why NRTL Certification
Matters for Electrical & Electronic Products in the US.”
SGS North America Listed Mark
SGS helps
manufacturers and suppliers quickly and efficiently get their E&E products
onto markets in the US and Canada. As an NRTL, SGS can test and certify a wide
range of products and, with E&E experts in over 20 laboratories worldwide,
can help deliver innovative solutions to help get products onto North American
markets in a minimal timeframe. Learn more about the SGS North America Listed Mark.
For further information on our range of services, please contact:
John Ciliege
GLOBAL HEAD-NRTL
Consumer Retail Services
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs/com/ee
LinkedIn:
sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection,
verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the
global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees,
SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.