Product safety laboratories: OSHA's accreditation process needs reexamination: report to congressional requesters.

By U.S. Government Accountability Office

"American workers interact with many types of products that could pose risks to their safety. The NRTL program, administered by OSHA, works to support employers and workers by establishing a process for safety-testing certain equipment and other products for use in the U.S. workplace. Under this program, which is supported by user fees, OSHA accredits third-party labs as NRTLs, which then determine whether certain types of products meet safety standards. Because the availability of NRTLs is essential to ensuring that employers have timely access to products that meet safety standards, GAO was asked to examine (1) how long it takes to make accreditation decisions and the key factors that affect timeliness, and (2) the extent to which OSHA has adopted commonly used strategies for improving timeliness. GAO reviewed relevant documents and data from OSHA; interviewed OSHA officials, other NRTL stakeholders, and officials from four federal agencies that administer accreditation programs for other purposes; and reviewed information on strategies for improving timeliness from past GAO reports and other sources."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1974232824
• ISBN13: 9781974232826
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 46 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"