Respiratory Protection Program Generator
Wherever respirators are necessary to protect health, or wherever an employer requires them, 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1) requires a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The standard then lists nine provisions the program must include. Those nine are the nine sections of the document this generator builds, in the order the CFR sets them out.
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Template for informational purposes only. This document must be reviewed and adapted by a competent or qualified person for your specific jobsite, equipment, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements. It does not constitute legal, engineering, or safety advice and does not by itself establish compliance with OSHA or any other standard. SteelToeTools assumes no liability for its use. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.
How to use this program
- 1Start with the hazard, not the respirator. (d)(1)(iii) asks you to identify and evaluate the respiratory hazards, including a reasonable estimate of exposures and the contaminant's chemical state and physical form. If you cannot estimate it, the standard makes the choice for you: the atmosphere is considered IDLH.
- 2Get the order right: medical, then fit test, then use. (e)(1) puts the medical evaluation before fit testing or use. Fit testing a worker who has not been medically cleared is the sequencing error inspectors find most often.
- 3Write worksite-specific procedures. (c)(1) uses that phrase deliberately. “Respirators will be cleaned per manufacturer instructions” is a sentence; “half-masks are washed at the trailer sink at end of shift and stored in a sealed bag in each worker's locker” is a procedure.
- 4Decide the voluntary-use question explicitly. Dust masks worn by choice are outside the written program under the (c)(2)(ii) exception — but the appendix D information still has to be handed out, and any voluntary use of a respirator that is not a filtering facepiece pulls the medical and cleaning elements back in.
- 5Check the assigned protection factor before you commit. The respirator APF calculator compares the exposure to the maximum use concentration for the class you selected. Then run the crew through respirator basics.
What OSHA requires
29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1) requires a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures in any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee, or wherever respirators are required by the employer — even when the exposure data alone would not compel them. Construction is covered through 29 CFR 1926.103, which adopts 1910.134 for construction work. The program is updated as necessary to reflect changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use.
| ¶ | What the program must include | Detail at |
|---|---|---|
| (c)(1)(i) | Procedures for selecting respirators for use in the workplace | (d) |
| (c)(1)(ii) | Medical evaluations of employees required to use respirators | (e) |
| (c)(1)(iii) | Fit testing procedures for tight-fitting respirators | (f) |
| (c)(1)(iv) | Procedures for proper use of respirators in routine and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations | (g) |
| (c)(1)(v) | Procedures and schedules for cleaning, disinfecting, storing, inspecting, repairing, discarding and otherwise maintaining respirators | (h) |
| (c)(1)(vi) | Procedures to ensure adequate air quality, quantity and flow of breathing air for atmosphere-supplying respirators | (i) |
| (c)(1)(vii) | Training of employees in the respiratory hazards to which they are potentially exposed during routine and emergency situations | (k) |
| (c)(1)(viii) | Training of employees in the proper use of respirators, including putting them on and removing them, any limitations on their use, and their maintenance | (k) |
| (c)(1)(ix) | Procedures for regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the program | (l) |
Around those nine sit three more requirements. (c)(3): designate a program administrator qualified by appropriate training or experience commensurate with the complexity of the program. (c)(4): provide respirators, training and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. (m)(3): retain a written copy of the current program.
The dates that matter
- Medical evaluation before fit testing or use — (e)(1).
- Fit test before initial use, on any change of facepiece size, style, model or make, and at least annually — (f)(2); plus an additional test whenever a physical change that could affect fit is reported or observed — (f)(3).
- Training before the employee is required to wear a respirator, and retraining annually — (k)(3) and (k)(5).
- Emergency-use respirators inspected at least monthly and checked for proper function before and after each use — (h)(3)(i).
- Fit test records kept until the next fit test, with the five items listed at (m)(2)(i)(A) through (E) — (m)(2)(ii).
Assigned protection factors are not reproduced on this page: they are set out in Table 1 of 1910.134(d)(3)(i)(A) and are applied by the APF calculator. This generator produces a template — the employer remains responsible for the accuracy of the program and for its implementation.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & references
- 29 CFR 1910.134 — Respiratory protection: the written program at (c)(1), selection (d), medical evaluation (e), fit testing (f), use (g), maintenance (h), breathing air (i), training (k), program evaluation (l) and records (m)
- 29 CFR 1926.103 — Respiratory protection in construction: adopts 1910.134 for construction work
- 29 CFR 1910.1020 — Access to employee exposure and medical records, referenced by 1910.134(m)(1)
- OSHA — Respiratory Protection safety and health topics page
Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.