Every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) releases a list of the most frequently cited violations by employers and organizations. If you want to ensure you are adequately protecting your workers and complying with OSHA fit testing standards, it’s important to understand which workplace hazards are the most common source of violations.  

What Happens When You Fail To Comply With OSHA Fit Testing Standards  

As an employer, you can be fined under OSHA’s respiratory protection program if you do the following: 

• Fail to create, implement, or update a written respiratory protection program (RPP) for your company (this program must include on-site specific procedures)
• Fail to designate a qualified program administrator to manage or oversee the RPP, and conduct the necessary evaluations of program effectiveness 
• Fail to include specific terms in their RPP, including procedures for fit testing, medical evaluations, and assessing the effectiveness of the program on a regular basis
• Fail to offer the employees who wear respirators with the mandatory information from Appendix D (Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under Standard) 

Most employers know that they may face financial penalties when the above violations occur on their premises. However, the consequences of these violations are not only limited to hazard abatement requirements levied by OSHA or monetary penalties. 

Failing to comply with the OSHA fit testing standards can actually lead to criminal liability as well under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

This was proven when a criminal charge was filed against a construction contractor in Pennsylvania on November 24th, 2020. The police report stated that the contractor failed to safeguard a worker from trench hazards, and as a result, the worker in question died during trench collapse in 2017. OSHA considered this negligence a willful violation.

For the uninitiated, when an employer either acts with pure indifference to employee safety or deliberately fails to comply with a legal regulation, it’s known as willful violation. If proven guilty, this employer will not only have to pay significant damages but may also face imprisonment. 

It goes without saying that willful violations can severely impact a business. The employer may find their reputation in tatters as it may become challenging to win bids on projects. Taking OSHA fit testing standards lightly comes with a great risk, and can lead to professional as well as personal turmoil. 

Call Us To Stay Compliant With OSHA Fit Testing Standards

At Professional Fit Testing Services, our operation specialists have decades of experience in providing superior onsite health testing solutions. We can help you reduce risks to avoid critical violations, so you don’t have to. 

Our team can help you address all employee safety concerns and complaints to further avoid potential criminal charges and willful violations. We can also train your employees and management on protocols for handling OSHA investigations and inspections. 

Since in most cases, OSHA mandates medical surveillance testing, we conduct onsite respirator fit tests right on your job site. We will keep easy-to-access and accurate medical records for your convenience so you can stay ahead of OSHA inspections. Our certified lab technicians can perform both quantitative and qualitative respirator tests to ensure a perfect fit.