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                     Common Mistakes You’re Making With 
OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard
INTRODUCTION: OSHA consistently ranks respiratory protection in the Top 5 most 
frequently cited standards on worksites. This year, the respiratory protection standard had 
more than 2,800 violations across the nation. As nearly five million Americans work in 
harmful dust, gas and smoke each year, the importance of respiratory protection cannot be 
overstated. Respiratory protection violations are particularly present in industries such as 
mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, chemical manufacturing, transportation and 
warehousing. 
The expression “the devil is in the details” may have been made for OSHA requirements. The 
Respiratory Protection standard 29 CFR 1910.134, like most OSHA regulations, has many 
sections. With sections running from (a) to (m), there are 13 sections to follow. No wonder 
there are thousands of violations annually.  
Looking deeper into the violations, several sections are tripping up employers. Read on and 
discover which two sections are the most frequently violated and how Examinetics can help.
MEDICAL EVALUATION
  Too often, employees unfit to wear facepieces are on the job, leading to potential  
  sickness, health risks and OSHA 300 recordables. To avoid this, it is imperative to  
  carefully follow 29 CFR 1910.134 section (e) regarding medical evaluations. In 
  short, all employees who wear a respirator must receive a medical evaluation and  
  get cleared before fit testing and use. This is the most cited section within the   
  standard.
  
As an employer, there is a constant struggle to find time to release your employees for a clinical 
checkup. Sending employees to clinics all over town can disrupt productivity, reduce 
eciency and drag on your budget. However, there is a convenient and less time-consuming 
option available - online respirator clearance evaluations via questionnaire. 
Through easy online access, the respirator questionnaire is simple and convenient for your 
entire workforce, while keeping them healthy, safe and compliant with mandatory workplace 
laws. This clearance process eliminates osite clinic visits minimizing lost productivity. For 
example, the Examinetics clearance process is three simple steps:
1. Examinetics sends a link to you providing access to the medical questionnaire. You simply  
    distribute the link to all respirator-wearing employees to access the test.
2. Employees reply to the questionnaire through a series of “yes” and “no” questions. The    
    evaluations take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. 
3. After completion, employees immediately receive clearance results, while you receive
     notification of your employees’ status. You have instant access to evaluation results through  
    XM Solutions, our secure data management platform.
FIT TESTING
Many times, employees wear ill-fitting respirators on the job causing a
myriad of health issues. Respirators are never a “one size fits all” scenario, 
due to an employee’s physical condition and other factors such as weight, 
facial scarring and dental procedures. 
That’s why employers are running afoul of 29 CFR 1910.134 section (f), which says the 
employer shall ensure that an employee using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator is fit tested 
prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a dierent respirator facepiece (size, style, model 
or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter.
As mentioned previously, meeting your mandates can be a burden when you have to send 
employees to clinics. The logistics can be a drain on your safety team. Look for a partner such 
as Examinetics, who can come onsite to all your locations and provide compliance solutions 
that come to you.
We deliver qualitative and quantitative fit testing directly to your front door, reducing the 
costs and lost work time with osite exams. With flexible scheduling options and a fleet of 
more than 130 mobile units, we keep your workforces healthy and OSHA/MSHA/FRA 
compliant. If pulmonary function test is a requirement in your medical surveillance program, 
we can provide those services. Examinetics operates cutting-edge, NIOSH approved  
spirometry technology and software.
  STAY COMPLIANT AND HEALTHY
  Not only is compliance imperative for your business, it is also ultimately best for      
                           the health of your employees. With decades of respiratory protection experience, 
we've accumulated a wealth of knowledge on respiratory health in the workplace. Below is 
helpful information - reminders, advice and tips - to consider as you build the framework for 
your respiratory protection program.
>   Stay up-to-date with industry and state regulations: Staying up-to-date with specific 
industry and state regulations is important as each holds its own set of rules. For instance, 
those in the mining industry adhere to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to 
minimize hazards and promote safety and health conditions in the nation’s mines. Likewise, 
the Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the trucking industry 
to reduce injuries and fatalities involving large vehicles. Employers should also be aware of 
their state regulations, not just national standards. For example, the California Division of 
Occupational Safety and Health adopted an emergency regulation to protect outdoor 
employees from hazards associated with the increase of wildfire smoke. These local regulations 
can impact your respiratory protection program.
>   Grooming is essential: Facial hair must be an acceptable length at all times on the job, not 
just for testing day. We often see employees who have to shave when we come onsite to 
perform respirator fit testing. This means that the employee has been potentially wearing an 
ill-fitting facepiece. Section (g) of the standard has more clarifying information on seal 
protection and facial hair. 
Proper grooming is one key to success. For a comfortable fit with a protective seal, employees 
must ensure their whiskers are well trimmed or clean-shaven.  Rogue facial hairs cause an 
ill-fitting seal, allowing dusty air particles, gases or other unwanted materials to enter an 
employee’s mouth and nose.
A simple way to remind your sta to remain clean-shaven is to use charts from OSHA depict-
ing the types of acceptable and unacceptable facial hair. As an OSHA regulation, appropriate 
shaving is necessary for employees. 
>   Options for glasses-wearers: Employees who wear glasses may struggle to wear both their 
glasses and a respirator. In particular, this aects employees requiring a full-face respirator or 
SCBA. However, OSHA requires employers to provide employees who wear respirators with an 
optical corrective lens when necessary.  
>   Awareness of employees with hearing aid needs: Employees who wear hearing aids may 
need special attention. Too often, the Examinetics nursing sta has seen employees in need of 
hearing aids that do not wear them while wearing SCBA. Although a pair of hearing aids fit 
within a mask, they often are not worn. This issue is often found with firefighters and fire 
companies. Employees take out their hearing aids during the job, which is ultimately 
detrimental to their health and hinders their ability to perform on the job. For those with 
troubled hearing, wearing hearing aids while in SCBA gear avoids further damage.
RESPIRATORY PROTECTION SERVICES DELIVERED AT YOUR LOCATION
As the leading provider of occupational compliance services, Examinetics oers 
comprehensive respiratory protection services. We provide online medical clearances – which 
are required to determine an employee’s ability to us a respirator – and respirator fit testing.
Examinetics is the nation's leading provider of Workforce Health Solutions through 
mobile, onsite and technology platforms. Our comprehensive suite of occupational health 
services delivers strategic value to more than 3,000 clients in over 18,000 locations 
annually. Leading companies partner with Examinetics to achieve regulatory compliance, 
minimize productivity loss and acquire vital data required for optimal health outcomes. 
We call this "Insight x Onsite."
www.examinetics.com   (800) 946-7228