The Respiratory Protection Program includes a Respiratory Protection course and accompanying resources for occupational health professionals who want to learn more about OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard and the role of the Respiratory Protection Program Administrator. You do NOT need to be an AAOHN member to participate in this free training or access the training resources. However, you will need to create an AAOHN Guest Account to access the course.
Each module is self-paced and can be completed anywhere, anytime. If you need to log out while using the course, you may log in and resume the course where you paused.
Access the Course
Are you a Program Administrator who is:
- Working in an organization required to follow OSHA’s respiratory protection standard?
- Responsible for leading your organization’s respiratory protection program?
Click on each title below for additional resources that pertain to the module's topic. The links below are not the online course modules. To access the modules, please go to the AAOHN Academy Online Education Center.
Provides an overview of standard, general industry, and state plans; overview of the 9 required Respiratory Protection Program requirements; the written program; and the role of the Respiratory Protection Program administrator and team.
Additional Resources:
Defines respiratory hazards, work-related respiratory illnesses, the hierarchy of respiratory protection controls, and respiratory protection (PPE) as last line of defense.
Additional Resources:
Includes definition of a respirator; respirator classes/types; disposable vs. reusable; filtering facepiece respirator; PAPRs; air supply respirators; SCBAs; N95 vs. Surgical Mask; respirator filtering ratings; respirator cartridges/canisters; testing/approving respirators; and how to identify a certified respirator versus counterfeit respirators.
Additional Resources:
Overview of chemical, physical, biological, and radiation hazards; recommended respiratory protection; respirator use in IDLH conditions; types of respiratory hazards; hazard monitoring and assessment; Occupational Exposure Levels (OELs); and manufacturer’s safety data sheets (SDS).
Additional Resources:
Describes respirator selection based on respiratory hazard (e.g., chemical, biological); IDLH conditions; assigned protection factor (APF); OSHA’s maximum use concentration (MUC); and manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Additional Resources:
Reviews respirator inspection; respirator maintenance and cleaning; use of Appendix B-2; respirator packaging, storage, and expiration data; canister, cartridge and filter replacement; respirator repair and replacement; disposal of single use respirators; and the manufacturer’s insert as a guide for use and maintenance.
Additional Resources:
An overview of employer requirements; use of Appendix C: Medical Evaluation Form; follow-up medical exam; medical re-evaluation; workers’ health considerations; medical evaluation clearance; medical evaluation frequency; and medical re-evaluation.
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Outlines respirators requiring fit testing; use of Appendix A; respirator fit testing procedures; qualitative fit testing; quantitative fit testing; fit testing frequency; and conditions for retesting.
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An overview of OSHA training requirements; use of Appendix B-1; training frequency; respiratory hazards specific to the work setting/job tasks; respirator use; user seal check etc.; and conditions for retraining.
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Describes the written program requirements; how to use a team approach to write the respiratory protection program; using the written program to develop an evaluation program, how to conduct an evaluation, and how to develop an evaluation checklist for this process.
Additional Resources:
In the AAOHN Academy Online Education Center, the course runs approximately 4 to 5 hours and includes numerous online links to external respiratory protection program resources. It is self-paced and you can stop at any time and pick back up at a later date. You can also access the course resources at any time.
You will be awarded a certificate of completion upon completion of the training and the accompanying evaluation tool. Nurses will receive 5 CNEs upon completion.
The development of OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Program Training was initially funded by NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and the expanded training program was funded by OSHA’s Susan Harwood Program under grant number SH-99024-SH0. This work was led by Lisa Pompeii, PhD, FAAOHN, and her team from Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Epidemiology & Population Health, with support from an advisory board of respiratory protection experts from academic, government and private organizations.