If respirators are not required in your workplace but employees wear them voluntarily, OSHA says you still must perform a medical evaluation. The sole exception is if the only type of respirator voluntarily worn is a filtering face piece respirator, though READY SAFE GO still highly recommends evaluations in those circumstances.
What’s Involved
The medical evaluation is a questionnaire located in Appendix C of the OSHA respiratory protection standard that the employee completes. A physician or licensed health care professional (PLHCP) must review it to assess whether:
A follow-up exam with a physician is required for that worker.
The worker is cleared for respirator use with no restrictions.
The worker is cleared with restrictions. That may mean they cannot use a negative pressure respirator on the job but could consider a positive pressure respirator instead.
The worker is not cleared for any respirator usage.
To complete the assessment, the PLHCP must know the type of respirator you plan to use, the nature of the work and the conditions in which the work will be done. OSHA regulations require that you provide time during normal working hours for employees to complete the questionnaire, at no cost to the workers.
The Virtual Option
Online medical evaluations are a convenient way to fulfill this requirement since employees can complete them without having to travel to see a physician (unless a follow-up is necessary). READY SAFE GO offers an online medical evaluation that meets the OSHA criteria. It can be completed at work and processed typically within hours, providing fast notification of results and clearance letters from a PLHCP via e-mail.
Fast Facts About Medical Evaluations for Respirator Usage:
Workers cannot be fit-tested until they obtain clearance on their medical evaluation.
Respirators can put extra stress on the wearer’s body and underlying medical conditions may make this risk worse. It is critical to get confirmation that the wearer is physically capable of wearing the respirator, with a medical evaluation.
Medical evaluations are required even for voluntary respirator usage in the workplace.
The only exception is for voluntary use of disposable filtering face piece respirators – in which case Ready Safe Go still recommends having workers undergo the medical evaluation.
The Standard medical evaluation is a questionnaire.
Many people are cleared based on their answers to the questionnaire alone and do not require a physical visit to a doctor
OSHA and NIOSH Require periodic re-evaluations at what intervals. This is the minimum schedule comparing OSHA and NIOSH
Under 35 years old, every 5 years. SCBA and Full-Face users, every 3 years
35-45 years old, every 2 years. SCBA and Full-Face users every 18 months
Over 45 years old, every year. SCBA and Full-Face users also every year
Certain hazards have special medical evaluation requirements.
For example, asbestos workers must complete a different questionnaire and have a pulmonary function test (PFT) prior to being fit-tested. Read the OSHA regulations regarding asbestos (link below). Several other substances have their own OSHA standards and/or special medical evaluation requirements. Check the summary (link below) to see if your workplace’s hazardous substance is one of them.
All completed questionnaires have to be reviewed and cleared by a physician or licensed health care professional (PLHCP)
The PLHCP can require a follow-up with a physician based on the information provided.
There are multiple levels of clearance on the medical evaluation.
Depending on the PLHCP’s findings, workers may be:
Cleared with no restrictions, meaning they are clear to perform required work duties while wearing a respirator.
Cleared with restrictions — for example, a worker may not be able to wear a negative pressure respirator but could be cleared to wear a positive pressure respirator.
Not cleared for any respirator usage.
If a worker is not cleared to wear a negative pressure respirator, a positive pressure respirator may be a solution.
A positive pressure respirator can be a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) or a Supplied Air Respirator (SAR). A PAPR relies on a battery and a motor to pull air through the filer into the breathing zone, and a Supplied Air Respirator uses an airline and a valve to deliver breathing quality air to the wearer. Neither of these respirators rely on the wearer’s lungs to pull air through the filtering device so they may be an option if a negative pressure respirator is not.
Information provided in medical evaluations is confidential.
Workers must be able to complete the questionnaire confidentially. Employers will get a clearance letter, but not employee answers and information disclosed in the questionnaire.
Employers must retain records for the duration of a worker’s employment plus 30 years.
Read more (link below) about the OSHA regulations on medical evaluation record keeping; 1910.1020(d)(1)(i) contains this specific rule.
Thanks for supporting READYSAFEGO, your one stop safety solution expert.
Cheers,
DUSTY
Comments