Employees are to be trained prior to being required to wear a respirator and annually after that. Training shall include staff who supervise respirator users since we rely on them to help monitor respirator use.
Training covers each of these areas:
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- Why the respirator is necessary
- The respirator’s capabilities and limitations
- How improper fit, use, or storage can make the respirator ineffective
- How to properly inspect, put on, seal check, use, and remove the respirator
- How to store the respirator
- Why medical evaluations are necessary
- Our obligations under the Respirators Rule
Our employees are trained online via the Vector LMS portal, using a presentation provided by Washington Labor and Industries and customized to be appropriate for PLU employees. This training portal tracks training completions and automatically reassigns training annually. They also receive in-person instruction from a supervisor when issued their respirator and if the style of respirator changes.