Respirator Resources for Employees

Recurring Respirator Program Components

Requirement	Responsible MSU Unit	Interval	Prerequisite	System of Record
Medical Evaluation	Occupational Health	Every 2-5 years	None	Health Employee Risk Database (HERD) Expiration reminders are sent from HERD
Fit Test/Training	Environmental Health & Safety	Every year	Medical Evaluation	Ability LMS Expiration reminders are sent from ORRS.train@msu.edu

Also see: MSU Respiratory Protection Program II-E: Employee Responsibilities

Medical Evaluation

Managed by MSU Occupational Health
Contact occhealth@msu.edu

• Check Your Compliance

  Check your status with MSU Occupational Health at https://herd.msu.edu. Under Health Risks, verify that you have an active Respirator requirement and that the Compliance column shows "Compliant."

  

  If you are not compliant, contact Occupational Health at occhealth@msu.edu to fill out a medical questionnaire. DO NOT send any medical information to EHS.

  You will NOT be notified when your questionnaire is approved. To check compliance, you need to log in to HERD to view compliance status.

Fit-Testing & Training

Managed by MSU Environmental Health & Safety
Contact EHS.respirators@msu.edu

• Schedule an Appointment

  Confirm that you are medically cleared before scheduling a fit test/training.

  N95, Half-Face, Full-Face, or SCBA

  To schedule an appointment:

  • Vet Med personnel, contact Stephanie Smith-Edwards (517-574-8766)
  • All other personnel, select an available appointment in Microsoft Bookings
    • If you have been fit tested in the past, enter the brand and model (generally a 4 digit number) of the mask in the form when scheduling your appointment.

  
  PAPR

  Most PAPR do not require a fit test as they are loose fitting; however, they do require training. EHS, and various divisions (IPF, VDL) have in-house trainers. Retraining is available online. To set up an initial PAPR training with EHS, email occsafety@ehs.msu.edu. EHS does not have PAPR units, so the user must bring their own. EHS is available to consult with departments needing to purchase a PAPR.

• About Your Appointment

  What to Bring

  • Full or half-face masks: If you have been fit-tested previously, bring the respirator provided to you by your supervisor. 
  • For N95 masks: If you have never been fit tested but your lab/clinic has masks, bring one to the fit test.
  • If you were not provided a respirator, one will be provided for you during the fit test. Do not purchase a respirator until fit tested by EHS.

  
  How to Prepare

  • You must be clean shaven in the seal line of the respirator (no beard, no stubble, no goatee in the seal line of the respirator).
  • Long hair must be worn pulled back or put up away from the face.

  
  Location

  Fit testing is at the Annex building at 3940 Collins Road in Lansing.

  The Annex is the pale gray building on the right with two big garage doors. Go to the door with glass window that says "Fit testing." Call EHS at 517-355-0153 if having issues accessing the Annex.

  About Fit-Test

  You will be given options for masks if this is your first appointment. Type of mask will depend on the hazard. You may choose a comfortable mask. You will be given the manufacturer, model, & size information as well as training. You will be tested quantitatively, (by machine) or qualitatively (by taste), depending on mask, size of group, taste threshold, etc. Each test typically takes 10 minutes or less.

  When you pass the fit test:

  • N95 respirator – you will obtain the manufacturer, model and size information as well as training.
  • Other respirators – you will be given information for ordering, cartridge selection and change out.
• Cancel, Reschedule, Late Arrivals

  If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can do so using Bookings up to 48 hours prior to your appointment. To do either, go to the appointment confirmation email you got and click on the link to reschedule.

  If you are less than 48 hours from your appointment and you need to cancel, you must email ehs.respirators@msu.edu to let us know. No shows with no communication with us may not be accommodated for a long time due to the large number of tests we have.

  Don't be late for your appointment as they are scheduled every 20 minutes. If you are more than 5 minutes late, we may not be able to fit test you or you may have to wait to be fit tested.

• Check Your Compliance

  Following your appointment, EHS will add the fit-test/training record in the Ability Training Compliance system. To check compliance, log in to Ability LMS, go to My Requirements, verify that you have a respirator track assigned, and that the track status is "Complete." The specific track name should correspond to the type of mask you wear:

  • Respirator (Full/Half-Face)
  • N95 Respirator
  • Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
  • and/or Powered Air-Purifying Respirator

  

Questions

• Who is included in MSU's Respiratory Protection Program?

  All MSU employees and students paid by MSU who work with hazards that warrant respiratory protection are included in the program. These employees must comply with Employee Responsibilities listed in the MSU Respiratory Protection Program, including medical evaluation and fit test/training.

  See also:

  • MSU Respiratory Protection Program II-E: Employee Responsibilities
  • MSU Respiratory Protection Program IV-F-A: Issuance and Assignment of Respirators
• What if my job does not involve respiratory hazards, but I want to wear a mask for comfort?

  In a situation where air monitoring has been conducted and no respiratory hazard exists, an employee may voluntarily wear a NIOSH approved filtering facepiece (i.e. N-95 respirator) or dust mask. These employees will not be included in the respiratory protection program. If an employee chooses to wear an elastomeric respirator, then the employee must be placed in the MSU respiratory protection program. Voluntary users will be provided with the information in OSHA Standard 1910 Appendix D.

  See:

  • MSU Respiratory Protection Program IV-F-B: Voluntary Use
  • OSHA Standard 1910 Appendix D
    
• How do I get started in the respirator program?

  For new hazards/job duties: Call the EHS Occupational Safety Team (517-355-0153) to discuss the hazards to be encountered and determine if an assessment needs to be performed.

• What are the available types of respirators?
  • MSU Respiratory Protection Program III: Respiratory Protective Equipment
• What styles of facial hair are acceptable?

  You must be clean shaven in the seal line of the respirator to be fit tested AND to wear a respirator. This is an OSHA requirement and is non-negotiable.

  Graphic: Facial Hairstyles and Filtering Facepiece Respirators (PDF)

  

  Interpretations of the OSHA standard

  • Facial Hair and Respirator Fit
  • Beards may not interfere with face seal; alternative respirators for bearded employees
  • Clarification on firefighters with facial hair who enter IDLH atmospheres and use a self-contained breathing apparatus

More Information

• OSHA Resources
• MSU Respiratory Protection Program (PDF) - MSU's written plan