Respiratory Protection Program Services
303.398.1539 | RidderA@njhealth.org
National Jewish Health is one of the few organizations in the United States that offers a full-service respiratory protection program. All of our services are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of each of our clients while ensuring compliance with all requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other federal, state, and local regulations.
Medical Clearance Exams
Workers who are required to wear a respirator on the job must be medically cleared to ensure they are physically capable of wearing a respirator. At a minimum, this medical clearance consists of a clinician review of the required OSHA questionnaire. National Jewish Health has developed a proprietary questionnaire that meets of OHSA requirements and allows our clinicians to provide a basic medical clearance for most employees without a traditional medical exam. This questionnaire can be securely administered online to ease the administrative burden for our clients while still protecting the privacy of workers. For workers with more complex exposures or medical issues, we have a fully staffed Occupational Medicine clinic to facilitate the medical clearance process. For those workplaces with large numbers of workers that need to be medically cleared, we can arrange for onsite medical clearances. All medical clearances include the OSHA-required documentation for each worker's medical clearance for respirator use.
Pulmonary Function Testing
We can perform spirometry for workers exposed to hazardous substances either as part of a more comprehensive medical clearance or a medical surveillance program to detect early lung disease. Spirometry includes measurement of FEV1, FVC and FEV1: FVC ratio and comparison to normal predicted values correct for age, height and sex. This screening allows early detection of lung disease and referral for a more comprehensive medical examination if necessary. National Jewish Health specializes in performing high quality spirometry, meeting all American Thoracic Society (ATS) requirements. Testing is always performed by our National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified pulmonary technicians. This service can be provided in our Occupational Medicine clinic or we can design a program to test workers onsite to save your company time and money.
Respirator Fit Testing
OSHA requires annual respirator fit testing for workers who use a respirator. Fit testing ensures that a respirator properly seals to the user's face to protect them from exposure to hazardous substances. We can provide respirator fit testing in our professionally staffed respiratory fit facility on the National Jewish Health campus or we can come to your facility. We can perform either qualitative or quantitative respirator fit testing services.
- Qualitative Respirator Fit Testing
This is the most appropriate test for half-face cartridge type respirators and disposable respirators. This is the most common type of fit-testing used in healthcare environments. National Jewish Health specializes in high-volume qualitative respirator fit testing. We have developed proprietary equipment and methods that allow one of our technicians to fit test up to six people at the same time; saving time and money for our client.
- Quantitative Respirator Fit Testing
This test is the most appropriate for full-face respirators which will be used in environments with highly hazardous chemicals. Thus type of testing provides clear evidence of proper respirator fit. However, it takes more time and requires specialized equipment. National Jewish Health has both the equipment and expertise to provide high quality quantitative respirator fit testing services. We also maintain an extensive inventory of most brands, styles, and sizes of respirators to ensure workers get an optimum respirator fit to provide them with maximum protection in the workplace.
All fit tests include the OHSA required annual training, which covers the cleaning, storage, maintenance and limitations of the respirator and filters. Also, to assure OSHA compliance record keeping, our clients receive documentation for each worker's respirator fit test. In addition, each worker is issued a personalized respirator fit card that includes the type and size of respirator they should be using.
Audiometry
Workers exposed to hazardous noise levels must be provided with annual hearing or audiometric testing to comply with OSHA regulations. Audiometric testing detects early signs of hearing loss and provides important information to help workers protect their hearing. National Jewish Health can provide a fully compliant audiometric testing either in our Occupational Medicine clinic or at your work site. Clients using our comprehensive audiometric testing program receive individual worker reports comparing current test results to previous years for each worker, documentation required to help you comply with OSHA regulations and a summary report outlining hearing loss trends among their workers to help identify areas where additional noise controls are needed.
Industrial Hygiene Services
We offer a complete menu of industrial hygiene services, including air sampling, exposure analysis, hazard communication and ventilation evaluations. Learn more about our Industrial Hygiene Services.
Worker Training
We have an experienced training team that conducts training programs across the U.S. on a wide variety of occupational health and safety topics. We have received training grants from OSHA to develop training on topics such as beryllium health effects and exposure control and health effects and control of flavoring chemical exposure. All of our training programs have been developed to meet the needs of the adult learner and include hands-on or interactive training activities. We have established worker training programs meeting all OSHA standards for:
• General Respiratory Protection
• General Hazard Communication
• Use of Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR)
• Use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
• Noise and Hearing Conservation
• Healthcare Worker Exposure to Airborne Infectious Agents
• First Responder Exposure to Clandestine Methamphetamine
• First Responder Exposure to Illegal Marijuana Grow Operations
• Beryllium Health Effects and Exposure Control
• Flavoring Chemical Health Effects and Exposure Control
These programs can be delivered at the worksite or we can arrange training at an offsite location. We specialize in developing customized training solutions to meet the needs of our clients. Our unique combination of medical and exposure professionals allows us to deliver training on complex topics at a level that can be understood by the average worker.
Respiratory Protection Program Consultation
For Industry:
We can help you create a comprehensive OSHA-compliant respiratory protection program for your company that provides maximum protection for your workers and is easy to administer. National Jewish Health has the resources to help you with exposure assessment, written program development, medical clearances, fit-testing, and training – a combination unmatched in the Rocky Mountain Region.
For Healthcare:
Let us help you with the annual fit-testing and training requirements of the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard. We specialize in high-volume fit-testing and can develop a program to train and fit test all your workers with the least disruption to your operations. We also have special interest and expertise in protecting employees potentially exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other infectious agents. Our program is specifically designed to meet OSHA, Joint Commission on Accreditation of healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines relevant to personal respiratory protection for exposures to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
