GAO Finds OSHA NRTL Program Could Use Improvements
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has published a review of OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program. The GAO found that OSHA’s process for accrediting NRTLs is lengthy due to the scope of staff members’ responsibilities and unclear application procedures for accreditation. Among recently approved applications, OSHA took between 1 and 5 years to decide accreditation, which was much longer than desired. Twelve of 29 applications waiting final decisions as of June 2012 had been under review longer than the 5-year period for which the accreditation decision would be valid.