NRTL Standards

NRTLs give you increased confidence and quality assurance that your products meets North American electrical safety requirements for market acceptance.

OSHA's standards contain requirements for NRTL product testing and certification for 39 product types to be tested and certified by a third-party organization designated as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL).

In 1988, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) created the NRTL program which defines the set of criteria to which a lab could prove itself to be worthy to provide evaluation, testing and certification of electrical products. Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories have been recognized by OSHA as meeting the legal requirements in 29 CFR 1910.7 to perform safety testing and certification of products covered using consensus based test standards.

What is a NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory)?

A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) is an independent third-part laboratory recognized by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to test and certify products to applicable product safety standards.

OSHA requires various types of products, devices, assemblies, or systems that are used in the workplace, to be tested and certified by a third-party organization designated as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL). Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories have been recognized by OSHA as meeting the legal requirements in 29 CFR 1910.7 to perform safety testing and certification of products covered using consensus based test standards.

Due to Eurofins E&E North America’s decade long battle of challenging UL’s dominance of product safety certification, in 1988 OSHA created the NRTL program which defines the set of criteria to which a lab could prove itself to be worthy of NRTL status and ensure that certain types of equipment be tested and certified for their safe use in the workplace. We became the nation’s first Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) in the United States.

What are NRTL Standards?

OSHA determines which product standards are to be used as they relate to worker safety. OSHA’s standards contain requirements for NRTL product testing and certification for 39 product types. OSHA requires NRTL approval for many kinds of electrical equipment when they are used in the workplace.

Test standards determined to be appropriate for use under OSHA’s NRTL Program include ANSI, IEEE, NEMA, CSA, and UL standards. The need for UL approvals for product safety compliance is actually a common misconception in the industry. While UL does coordinate standards writing, they are only one of several NRTLs for testing and certification.

Click here to view OSHA's list of products requiring NRTL approval.

We are the global service leader for product safety approvals and regulatory certification of electrical products — With facilities, accreditations, and 60 years of experience to get your products approved and to market faster. We currently have OSHA approval to test and certify to over 200 product standard categories. The table below details the standards that apply.

Click here to view Eurofins E&E's full Scope of Recognition.

Programs:

• Acceptance of testing data from independent organizations, other than NRTLs.
• Acceptance of product evaluations from independent organizations, other than NRTLs.
• Acceptance of witnessed testing data.
• Acceptance of testing data from non-independent organizations.
• Acceptance of evaluation data from non-independent organizations (requiring NRTL review prior to marketing).
• Acceptance of continued certification following minor modifications by the client.
• Acceptance of product evaluations from organizations that function as part of the International Electrotechnical Commission Certification Body (IEC-CB) Scheme.
• Acceptance of services other than testing or evaluation performed by subcontractors or agents.

Product Standards:

Restrictions/Limitations on Recognition Granted:

Note: * Testing and certification of products under this test standard is limited to Class I locations. Explosion testing is also limited to current test chamber capabilities.

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