WASHINGTON, DC – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled an informal stakeholder meeting to gather information on how the agency can increase the effectiveness of its Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program. The meeting will be held October 22, 2014, in Washington, DC.

The meeting will focus on the use of the private sector to improve timeliness and efficiency of the NRTL recognition process, certification marks, factory and field inspections, and other topics if time permits.

In 2012, the Government Accountability Office conducted a study of OSHA’s NRTL Program to examine the program’s recognition process. GAO published its findings in December 2012 and recommended that OSHA consider various approaches for recognizing NRTLs to include using private accreditation bodies and contractors. GAO also recommended that OSHA review current regulations to identify changes to existing procedures, including better alignment with international standards on accreditation.

The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 22, 2014, at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. For more information, visit OSHA’s NRTL Program Improvement Project webpage. Individuals can register to attend the meeting as a presenter, participant or observer. The deadline for registration and submission of comments is July 22, 2014. See the Federal Register notice for registration and submission details.