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Free OSHA Tool

Respiratory Protection Program Builder

OSHA requires a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures wherever respirators are necessary, or required by the employer (29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)). Fill in your details below and download a ready-to-edit program PDF — with the Appendix D voluntary-use notice in English and Spanish.

Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-08-26

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Program details

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(3) requires a designated administrator.

Industry / governing standard
Type of respirator use
Appendix D voluntary-use notice language

Respirator selection must be based on the hazard and air monitoring (29 CFR 1910.134(d)) — this text appears in Section 3.

Your program will include 11 sections

  • 1. Purpose and Scope
  • 2. Program Administrator
  • 3. Hazard Assessment and Respirator Selection
  • 4. Medical Evaluation
  • 5. Fit Testing
  • 6. Respirator Use, Facepiece Seal, and Maintenance
  • 7. Training and Information
  • 8. Recordkeeping
  • 9. Cost to Employees
  • 10. Program Evaluation
  • Appendix D — Voluntary-Use Notice

Produces an editable template per 29 CFR 1910.134. It is not a substitute for a site-specific exposure assessment.

Medical evaluation comes first

A medical evaluation must determine the employee's ability to use a respirator BEFORE the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. (29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1)). Do not fit-test or assign a respirator before a PLHCP clears the employee.

Pair your written program with these next steps:

Fit-Test Method SelectorRespirator Medical EvalFit-Test Log
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Under 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1), an employer must establish and implement a WRITTEN respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures wherever respirators are necessary to protect the health of employees, or whenever respirators are required by the employer. Construction adopts the same standard through 29 CFR 1926.103 (adopts 29 CFR 1910.134).

It must cover, with worksite-specific detail: respirator selection based on the hazard (29 CFR 1910.134(d)); medical evaluation; fit testing of tight-fitting respirators; routine and emergency use procedures; cleaning, maintenance, and storage (29 CFR 1910.134(h)); air-quality for atmosphere-supplying respirators; training (29 CFR 1910.134(k)); and program evaluation (29 CFR 1910.134(l)). A designated program administrator runs it (29 CFR 1910.134(c)(3)).

Medical evaluation comes first. A medical evaluation must determine the employee's ability to use a respirator BEFORE the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. 29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1). The PLHCP uses the Appendix C questionnaire (29 CFR 1910.134(e)(2)(ii) (Appendix C)) or an equivalent initial exam before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator.

Tight-fitting respirators must be fit tested before initial use, on any facepiece change, and at least annually — 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2) (every 12 months). A qualitative fit test (QLFT) is only valid for negative-pressure air-purifying respirators that must achieve a fit factor of 100 or less (29 CFR 1910.134(f)(6)), so a full facepiece relied on above an APF of 10 needs a quantitative fit test (QNFT) — 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(7); Appendix A. Tight-fitting PAPRs and supplied-air respirators are governed by 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(8) instead, which permits either method, run in the negative-pressure mode.

Even when respirators are not required, voluntary use is allowed only if the employer provides the information in Appendix D and ensures use does not create a hazard — 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2). If voluntary use is limited to filtering facepieces (dust masks), only the Appendix D advisory applies; any other voluntary respirator also triggers medical-evaluation and cleaning/storage elements. This builder prints the Appendix D notice in every program.

The employer pays. 1910.134(c)(4) requires the employer to provide respirators, training, and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. Fit testing is not named there; it is part of the written respiratory protection program the employer must establish and maintain under (c)(1). Employees may not be charged for either. 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(4), reached in construction through 29 CFR 1926.103 (adopts 29 CFR 1910.134). Employees may not be charged — voluntary filtering-facepiece use is the limited exception.

Retain the most recent fit-test record until the NEXT fit test is administered. (29 CFR 1910.134(m)(2)(ii)). Medical-evaluation records are kept per 29 CFR 1910.1020 (duration of employment + 30 years). (per 29 CFR 1910.1020).

No. It is an editable template built on 29 CFR 1910.134. You must complete the worksite-specific details — actual respiratory hazards, air monitoring results, respirator models, change-out schedules, and your administrator — and base respirator selection on a real exposure assessment. The document is a starting point, not a substitute for that assessment.

When does OSHA require a written respiratory protection program?

Whenever respirators are necessary to protect the health of an employee, or whenever an employer requires respirator use, the employer must establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures — 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1). Construction adopts the identical standard through 29 CFR 1926.103 (adopts 29 CFR 1910.134). A verbal policy is not enough: the program must be written, kept current, and made available to affected employees.

The ten elements your written program must contain

Section 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1) lists the worksite-specific procedures and elements the program must include. Every element below appears in the PDF this tool generates.

Required program elementCFR
Procedures for selecting respirators29 CFR 1910.134(d)
Medical evaluations of employees29 CFR 1910.134(e)
Fit-testing procedures (tight-fitting respirators)29 CFR 1910.134(f)
Procedures for routine and emergency use29 CFR 1910.134(g)
Cleaning, disinfecting, storing, inspecting, repairing29 CFR 1910.134(h)
Procedures to ensure adequate air quality (SAR/SCBA)29 CFR 1910.134(i)
Training in respiratory hazards29 CFR 1910.134(k)
Training in proper use, maintenance, and limitations29 CFR 1910.134(k)
Procedures for evaluating program effectiveness29 CFR 1910.134(l)
A designated, qualified program administrator29 CFR 1910.134(c)(3)

The right order: medical evaluation before fit testing

A common citation is fit-testing or assigning a respirator before the worker is medically cleared. A medical evaluation must determine the employee's ability to use a respirator BEFORE the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. 29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1). The correct sequence is:

  1. Hazard assessment & respirator selection based on the airborne contaminant, its concentration, and the assigned protection factor needed — 29 CFR 1910.134(d).
  2. Medical evaluation by a PLHCP using the Appendix C questionnaire (29 CFR 1910.134(e)(2)(ii) (Appendix C)) or an equivalent exam — before fit testing or use.
  3. Fit testing of tight-fitting respirators before first use and at least every 12 months — 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2).
  4. Training, use, maintenance, recordkeeping, and program evaluation.

Assigned Protection Factors & fit-test method by respirator class

Respirator selection is driven by the Assigned Protection Factor (APF) you need — 29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(i), Table 1. The fit-test method is set by the fit factor the respirator is relied on for: a qualitative fit test (QLFT) is valid only to a fit factor of 100 (29 CFR 1910.134(f)(6); Appendix A); anything higher needs a quantitative fit test (QNFT) (29 CFR 1910.134(f)(7); Appendix A).

Respirator classAPFFit test
Half-mask, tight-fitting, negative pressure (air-purifying)10QLFT or QNFT
Full-facepiece, tight-fitting, negative pressure (air-purifying)50QLFT or QNFT
Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), tight-fitting full facepiece1000QLFT or QNFT
Loose-fitting PAPR / supplied-air hood or helmet25None (no face seal)
Supplied-air respirator (SAR), full facepiece, pressure-demand1000QLFT or QNFT

A full-facepiece negative-pressure respirator earns its APF of 50 only with a QNFT (pass = fit factor ≥ 500). If you fit-test it with a QLFT, you may rely on it at an APF of 10 only.

The Appendix A fit-test exercises

Every fit test (QLFT and QNFT) runs the same exercise regimen from 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix A. Each exercise lasts one minute, except the grimace.

ExerciseDurationApplies to
Normal breathing1 minBoth
Deep breathing1 minBoth
Turning head side to side1 minBoth
Moving head up and down1 minBoth
Talking (read aloud)1 minBoth
Grimace15 secQNFT only
Bending over (or jogging in place)1 minBoth
Normal breathing1 minBoth

Worked examples

Example 1 — Concrete contractor, half-mask N95s for silica. Grinding generates respirable crystalline silica. The crew uses half-mask negative-pressure respirators (APF 10). Because the relied-on fit factor is 100 or less, a QLFT (saccharin or Bitrex) is acceptable. Sequence: silica air monitoring → select N95/half-mask → PLHCP medical clearance → QLFT → annual fit test and training. The written program names the silica hazard, the respirator, the change-out schedule, and the administrator.

Example 2 — Lead abatement, full-facepiece at 25× the PEL. To rely on an APF of 50, the full-facepiece must pass a QNFT at a fit factor of ≥ 500. A QLFT would limit the same respirator to an APF of 10 — not enough for 25× exposure. The program documents the lead exposure, the PortaCount/CNC QNFT method, and medical surveillance under the lead standard.

What to do next

  • Do a real exposure assessment. This builder produces an editable template — respirator selection must rest on air monitoring and the substance-specific standard, not a guess.
  • Medically clear users first with the Appendix C medical-evaluation questionnaire.
  • Pick the fit-test method with the fit-test method selector and log results with the fit-test log.
  • Keep the program current and evaluate it whenever conditions change — 29 CFR 1910.134(l).

Sources & verification

Respiratory-protection facts verified 2026-08-26 against the eCFR. This builder produces an editable template for planning — it is not legal advice and is not a substitute for a site-specific exposure assessment.

Fit-test method selector →Respirator medical evaluation →Fit-test log →Manage it all in HazComFast →