RESPIRATORY SERVICES IN WARREN, OH

Respirator Fit Testing is a requirement by OSHA standard CFR 1910.134. Respirators are necessary to protect employees from hazardous environments (i.e., dusts, fogs, fumes, gases, smokes sprays, etc.) while at work when feasible engineering controls cannot be implemented.

RFT checks the seal between the user’s face and the respirator. This testing should not be confused with a user seal check. User seal checks are performed by the wearer each time they don the respirator to help them determine if the respirator is properly sealing with their face or if it needs to be readjusted.

Our Respirator Fit Testing Services in Warren, OH, helps you stay in compliance with OSHA Respiratory Standard CFR 1910.134.

There are two types of Respiratory Fit Tests:

• Qualitative Fit Testing is a pass/fail test subjective method using the employee’s sense of taste, smell, or reaction to an irritant odor. Qualitative testing does not measure the actual amount of leakage, whether the respirator passes or fails the test is based on an employee detecting leakage of the test substance.
• Quantitative Fit Testing uses a machine which is an objective method (i.e., PortAcount) to measure the actual amount of leakage into a face piece and not subjective in the case of Qualitative fit testing a respirator mask.

While we are On-site our testing includes:

• Respirator Condition Evaluation Checks
• Instruction on how to don, adjust and fit the respirator
• Negative and Positive pressure seal check of the respirator

Respirators should be rechecked when the following occurs:

• Large change in weight either loss or gain
• Major Dental work
• Facial Surgery that changes the shape of the employees face
• Significant scarring in the seal area

OSHA requires that all employees who are new to wearing a respirator fill out a medical history form along with some information from the employer defining the environment and employees work requirements while donning the respirator.

The OSHA-required medical questionnaire and history review is performed by our staff Pulmonologist or physician assistant.

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are a group of non-invasive tests that measure how much air volume can moved in and out of the lungs during respiration. Most companies that require employees to wear respirators request PFTs to be performed prior to wearing the respirator. These tests are performed with handheld spirometers and are reviewed by a pulmonologist or physician assistant.

The following lung functions will be measured during a PFT:

• Tidal Volume (VT): is the amount of air that moves in or out of the lungs with each respiratory cycle.
• Minute Volume (MV): is the volume of gas inhaled (inhaled minute volume) or exhaled (exhaled minute volume) from a person’s lungs per minute. It is an important parameter in respiratory medicine due to its relationship with blood carbon dioxide levels.
• Vital Capacity (VC): is the greatest volume of air that can be expelled from the lungs after taking the deepest possible breath.
• Functional Residual Capacity (FRC): is the functional residual capacity (FRC) is the resting volume at which the elastic recoil pressure of the lung inward equals the elastic recoil pressure of the chest wall outward, alveolar and mouth pressure are both zero, and there is no airflow.

• Residual Volume (RV): is the volume of air remaining in the lungs after maximum forceful expiration.
• Total Lung Capacity (TLC): is defined as the total volume of air in the lungs after a maximal inspiration.
• Forced Expiratory Flow (FEV): measures how much air a person can exhale during a forced breath. The amount of air exhaled may be measured during the first (FEV1), second (FEV2), and/or third seconds (FEV3) of the forced breath.
• Forced Vital Capacity (FVC): is the total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test.
• Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR): is the maximum flow rate generated during a forceful exhalation, starting from full lung inflation.

Included with all PFT’s is the following:

• Preliminary Health evaluation
• Blood pressure check
• Record keeping and data storage