The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is once again exploring the acceptance of Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) as evidence of compliance with safety requirements for certain electrical and electronic products used in the workplace.
Currently, all products used in the federally-regulated workplace must bear the mark of a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) as evidence that they have been tested by an independent third-party and found to be compliant with applicable product safety industry standards. However, the use of an SDoC in lieu of testing by an NRTL could speed the product approval process for some manufacturers.
In a Request for Information (RFI) published in the Federal Register in October 2008, OSHA noted that it was exploring the change at the request of the Commission of the European Union (EU). The EU uses the SDoC system of self-approval for certain electrical products.
OSHA previously considered the use of an SDoC system in 2005 at the request of industry trade association, but declined to move forward, saying that the responses it received were “insufficient” to justify initiating a rulemaking for any change. However, OSHA notes in its current RFI that it has subsequently obtained additional information, and is willing to reexamine the issue.
Our readers can view the complete text of OSHA’s RFI regarding SDoCs as published in the Federal Register at this link.
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