Respiratory Protection Program
An OSHA-required written program covering any workplace where workers use respirators, including medical evaluation to confirm a worker can safely wear one, fit testing to confirm a specific model seals properly on that worker's face, and training on proper use, not just handing out a respirator and assuming it's enough.
Why it matters
A respirator that isn't fit-tested to the specific worker wearing it can leak around the seal without the wearer ever noticing, which means simply providing respirators without the program behind them can create a false sense of protection instead of real protection.
On a real project
Before a crew starts work involving airborne silica dust, each worker gets medically cleared and fit-tested for their specific respirator model, and only workers who pass both steps are permitted to use it on that task.
Who this matters most to
A Safety Manager administers the program company-wide, tracking who's medically cleared, which respirator model each worker is fit-tested for, and when that fit test expires.
Where this goes wrong
A worker is handed an N95 respirator for a demolition task involving heavy dust without medical clearance or fit testing first. An OSHA inspection later cites the company for the missing program elements, a violation that exists regardless of whether the worker was actually harmed.