Respirator Protection is one of the top 5 most cited OSHA violations, but many companies ignore the requirement due to the cost, inconvenience and potential liability associated with conducting confidential medical evaluations.
Before wearing a tight-fitting respirator, OSHA requires that workers must first be medically evaluated using the mandatory medical questionnaire in Appendix C of the Respiratory Protection standard.
Employers must ensure that the medical questionnaire is administered confidentially during the employee’s normal working hours or at a time and place convenient to the employee, and the employer must not review the employee’s responses.
