Kevin Robinson,
Director, Office of Technical Programs & Coordination Activities
Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program
U.S Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program - Past, Present and Future
Abstract:
The Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program has shaped the world of product safety compliance for nearly 40 years, and OSHA is currently re-designing the program to prepare the program for the next 40 years and beyond.
Take a look back at the history of the NRTL Program, and the unique partnership that has developed between the public and private sectors. Learn how OSHA is restructuring the program to meet the market demands for today and the next 40 years, and the impact these changes will have on employers, manufacturers, testing and certification organizations and other regulators both in the United States and abroad.
Biography:
Kevin is the Director of the Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities (OTPCA) within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and is responsible for administering OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program. Kevin has more than 20 years of experience in the Product Safety Testing and Certification industry and has been working in OSHA’s NRTL Program for 8 years.
Prior to joining OSHA, Kevin worked for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the Office of International Programs where he provided technical consultation for Agency leadership, and served as a negotiator for cooperative agreements with CPSC’s international counterparts. Prior to his Federal Service, Kevin served as Technical and Quality Assurance Manager at MET Laboratories, the first organization to be recognized by OSHA as an NRTL. In this capacity he served as the senior technical advisor for an international product testing and certification body.
A native of Rochester, New York, Kevin graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology and has been designated by the International Association for Radio, Telecommunications and Electromagnetics as a Certified Product Safety Engineer.
Howard Tarnoff
Senior Counselor to the Acting Director,
Office of Compliance & Field Operations,
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
CPSC: Reporting Responsibilities and Ramifications for Failure to Comply
Abstract:
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has stringent reporting requirements for various safety issues. These require reports to the CPSC within 24 hours after events occur triggering a report. Failure to meet these requirements can result in the assessment of civil penalties, sometimes in the millions of dollars, as well as possible criminal penalties.
Mr. Tarnoff will discuss the legal requirements and the process by which these requirements should be analyzed. He will also discuss the importance of fully considering design requirements and voluntary standards for products relying on new technologies (or new designs using existing technologies).
Biography:
Mr. Tarnoff began his career with CPSC in 1995 as a Trial Attorney in the Office of Compliance and Field Operations. In 2008, Mr. Tarnoff became the Team Lead of the Regulated Products Team of the Division of Compliance in the Office of the General Counsel. In 2010, Mr. Tarnoff became the Senior Counselor to the Director of the Office of Compliance and Field Operations. From May – December 2015, Mr. Tarnoff served as the Acting Director of the Office of Compliance and Field Operations in which he oversaw the Commission’s Defect Investigations Division, Regulatory Enforcement Division, and Field Investigations Division.
At the CPSC, Mr. Tarnoff has received the Commission’s highest honor, the Chairman’s Award, along with the Special Act or Service Award, the Distinguished Service Award, and the Employees’ Choice Award. Mr. Tarnoff is a 1992 cum laude graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington, where he received a B.S. degree in Business Economics & Public Policy. He is also a 1995 graduate of The George Washington University Law School. He is a member of the bar in New Jersey and the District of Columbia.